Question

Which of the following is mostly a degradable pollutant?
a. DDT
b. Aluminum foil
c. Domestic wastes
d. Mercury salts

Answer 1

Hint: The definition of biodegradable pollutants has the answer to this. Biodegradable pollutants are materials that can be degraded by bacteria or other natural organisms. The word degrade itself means to get decomposed chemically, biologically, or organically.

Complete answer:
Biodegradable pollutants are materials that can be degraded by bacteria, landfills, or other natural organisms. Similarly, non-biodegradable pollutants are those materials that cannot be decomposed by natural organisms.

> Option A is incorrect: DDT stands for Dichloro diphenyl trichloroethane which is a highly toxic compound and pollutes the environment as it is a non-biodegradable pollutant. It is used as an insecticide and pesticide.

> Option B is incorrect: Aluminium foil is neither biodegradable nor disintegrates by degradation in a landfill over a long period.

> Option D is incorrect: Mercury is an element that is poisonous to the environment and non-biodegradable. Therefore there is no question of its salts getting decomposed by bacteria. Due to its non-biodegradable nature, various diseases have been seen to occur near landfills or areas where mercury is deposited.

> Option C is correct: Domestic wastes include kitchen wastes, vegetable and fruit peels, tea leaves, paper clothes all of which can be easily decomposed by the action of bacteria. They can serve as good manure or compost.

Hence, the correct answer is option (C).

Note: DDT is an organochlorine that was earlier used in the Second World War. Even today, it is used as an insecticide but researchers have shown that high amounts are carcinogenic. Therefore domestic waste is a very good biodegradable pollutant that can be later used as manure.