Environment and Disaster Management › Pollution

Chemicals, noise, light and soil pollution

Pollution that is not air, water or waste: pesticides, the ozone layer, light and contaminated soil. Environmental pollution is part of the GS3 syllabus.

Foundation note: The four chemicals conventions, and India's noise limits

Showing 1 of 3 articles, those that changed from 1 to 30 June 2026.Show all

Ammonia and industrial transient operations

Prelims and Mains

Ammonia is a colourless, pungent gas used in fertilisers, dyes and refrigeration.

In tissue it forms ammonium hydroxide, a corrosive alkali that burns airways, eyes and skin, and there is no antidote.
Plants spend over 90 per cent of their time in steady state, yet nearly half of process safety incidents occur at start up or shutdown.
The causes include thermal stress, runaway reactions, corrosion in dead legs and oxygen ingress.
The laws that apply are the Factories Act, 1948, the Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemicals Rules, 1989 under the Environment (Protection) Act, and the Boilers Act, 1923.

What changed

22 Jun 2026New
- Ammonia used as a refrigerant leaked from a seafood plant in Tiruvallur, killing eight.
- The unit had not fixed a missing alarm and fire hydrant flagged by the industrial safety directorate.
- Tamil Nadu will inspect all its hazardous industries.
Mains: the rules exist; what is missing is enforcement, such as ammonia sensors and water curtains linked to alarms.
The Hindu, 22 Jun 2026: What is ammonia poisoning? | Explained (opens in a new tab) · The Hindu, 23 Jun 2026: Deadly fumes: On the ammonia gas leak tragedy in Tamil Nadu (opens in a new tab) · The Hindu, 23 Jun 2026: An industrial risk the Qatar blast shares with accidents in India | Explained (opens in a new tab)