Brick Kiln Early In The Misty Morning

A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, a type of oven that produces temperatures sufficient to complete some process, such as hardening, drying, or chemical changes. Kilns have been used for millennia to turn objects made from clay into pottery, tiles and bricks.

Emission of huge quantity of toxic elements from brick kilns is causing serious health hazards. The brick kilns emit toxic fumes containing suspended particulate matters rich in carbon particles and high concentration of carbon monoxides and oxides of sulphur (SOx) that are harmful to eye, lungs and throat.

The air pollution is defined as the presence in the atmosphere of substances in such amounts as to affect humans, vegetation, animals, or material adversely. Large scale burning of fuels — coal, oil, gas etc. to supply energy to industries, households and means of transportation is the main cause of air pollution. It is estimated that almost go% of the air pollution are related with the combustion of fuel. The major pollutants are particulate matters (smoke, dust), gases (Sulphur dioxide, Nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide etc.), metals (e.g. lead) etc.
Air pollution could have local as well as global impacts. All living beings inhaling or exposed to the polluted air gets affected by it. Particulate matters such as smaller dust and smoke particles penetrate deeply into the lungs and get deposited there. Sulphur dioxide causes irritation of the respiratory system. Carbon monoxide inhalation also causes dizziness, vomiting and in higher concentrations it can be fatal. Plant health is also adversely affected by air pollution. Pollutants like fluorine, lead and mercury cause damage to plants.
The harmful effects of air pollution are not only confined to the living beings directly exposed to the pollutants near its source, but are felt in a large area around the source of pollution. Acid rain is one such phenomenon, which is a cause of concern in heavily industrialized areas. Acid rain is caused because sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen combines with water vapour in the atmosphere and forms mild acids. These acids then return to earth as rains, which have given, rise to the term acid rains. It causes extensive damage to plant life, to buildings and pollution of lakes and rivers. Fog is another phenomenon whose effect can extend to nearby areas. Fog formation is accelerated due to air pollution. Normal life particularly transportation gets seriously hit due to fog and growth of crops is affected by reduction in sunlight.
Air Pollution from brick kilns
Being one of the largest consumers of coal in the country, it is one of the important sources of carbon dioxide emission in the country.
Other air pollutants from brick kilns are:
a) SPM in the flue gases which is generated mainly due to incomplete combustion of fuel (black smoke) or comes from fine coal dust, ash present in coal and burnt clay particles.
b) Hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide due to incomplete combustion of fuel.
c) Sulphur oxides, concentration of which mainly depends on the amount of sulphur present in the coal and is significant where high sulphur content coal is used
d) Dust pollution generated during removal and laying down of ash layer on the top of the kiln and also due to blowing of ash stacked on the top and sides of the kiln
While the local impact of pollution caused by small isolated brick kilns located in rural areas is not likely to be significant, it is the large brick kiln clusters, located in the vicinity of large brick demand centers (towns and cities) that are important cause of concern. Rapid urbanization has resulted in expansion of these clusters. Air pollution in these clusters affects the workers, local nearby residents as well as crops in the vicinity.
Among the various categories of workers working on brick kilns, the firemen, unloaders and workers, which handle ash, has the maximum exposure to the pollutants. Inhaling of these pollutants causes irritation of skin and eyes and can cause pulmonary diseases such as pneumoconiosis and silicosis, which are caused by inhaling siliceous dust. Pollution also has an enormous effect on agricultural crops and fruit plantations. The damage caused fruit plantations due to pollutants from brick kilns are also known. I can see the defected oranges grown since few years.






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