What is the word pollution mean

Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change.[1] Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the components of pollution, can be either foreign substances/energies or naturally occurring contaminants.

Although environmental pollution can be caused by natural events, the word pollution generally implies that the contaminants have an anthropogenic source – that is, a source created by human activities, such as manufacturing, extractive industries, poor waste management, transportation or agriculture. Pollution is often classed as point source (coming from a highly concentrated specific site, such as a factory or mine) or nonpoint source pollution (coming from a widespread distributed sources, such as microplastics or agricultural runoff).

Many sources of pollution were unregulated parts of industrialization during the 19th and 20th centuries until the emergence of environmental regulation and pollution policy in the later half of the 20th century. Sites where historically polluting industries released persistent pollutants may have legacy pollution long after the source of the pollution is stopped. Major forms of pollution include air pollution, light pollution, litter, noise pollution, plastic pollution, soil contamination, radioactive contamination, thermal pollution, visual pollution, and water pollution.

Pollution has widespread consequence on human and environmental health, having systematic impact on social and economic systems. In 2015, pollution killed nine million people worldwide (one in six deaths).[2][3] Air pollution accounted for 34 of these earlier deaths.[4][5] A 2022 literature survey found that levels of anthropogenic chemical pollution have exceeded planetary boundaries and now threaten entire ecosystems around the world.[6][7] Pollutants frequently have outsized impacts on vulnerable populations, such as children and the elderly, and marginalized communities, because polluting industries and toxic waste sites tend to be collocated with populations with less economic and political power.[8] This outsized impact is a core reason for the formation of the environmental justice movement,[9][10] and continues to be a core element of environmental conflicts, particularly in the Global South.

Because of the impacts of these chemicals, local, country and international policy have increasingly sought to regulate pollutants, resulting in increasing air and water quality standards, alongside regulation of specific waste streams. Regional and national policy is typically supervised by environmental agencies or ministries, while international efforts are coordinated by the UN Environmental Program and other treaty bodies. Pollution mitigation is an important part of all of the Sustainable Development Goals.[11]

Definitions and types

Various definitions of pollution exist, which may or may not recognize certain types, such as noise pollution or greenhouse gases. The United States Environmental Protection Administration defines pollution as «Any substances in water, soil, or air that degrade the natural quality of the environment, offend the senses of sight, taste, or smell, or cause a health hazard. The usefulness of the natural resource is usually impaired by the presence of pollutants and contaminants.»[12] In contrast, the United Nations considers pollution to be the «presence of substances and heat in environmental media (air, water, land) whose nature, location, or quantity produces undesirable environmental effects.»[13]

The major forms of pollution are listed below along with the particular contaminants relevant to each of them:

  • Air pollution: the release of chemicals and particulates into the atmosphere. Common gaseous pollutants include carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and nitrogen oxides produced by industry and motor vehicles. Photochemical ozone and smog are created as nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons react to sunlight. Particulate matter, or fine dust is characterized by their micrometre size PM10 to PM2.5.
  • Electromagnetic pollution: the overabundance of electromagnetic radiation in their non-ionizing form, such as radio and television transmissions, Wi-fi etc. Although there is no demonstrable effect on humans there can be interference with radio-astronomy and effects on safety systems of aircraft and cars.
  • Light pollution: includes light trespass, over-illumination and astronomical interference.
  • Littering: the criminal throwing of inappropriate man-made objects, unremoved, onto public and private properties.
  • Noise pollution: which encompasses roadway noise, aircraft noise, industrial noise as well as high-intensity sonar.
  • Plastic pollution: involves the accumulation of plastic products and microplastics in the environment that adversely affects wildlife, wildlife habitat, or humans.
  • Soil contamination occurs when chemicals are released by spill or underground leakage. Among the most significant soil contaminants are hydrocarbons, heavy metals, MTBE,[14] herbicides, pesticides and chlorinated hydrocarbons.
  • Radioactive contamination, resulting from 20th century activities in atomic physics, such as nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons research, manufacture and deployment. (See alpha emitters and actinides in the environment.)
  • Thermal pollution, is a temperature change in natural water bodies caused by human influence, such as use of water as coolant in a power plant.
  • Visual pollution, which can refer to the presence of overhead power lines, motorway billboards, scarred landforms (as from strip mining), open storage of trash, municipal solid waste or space debris.
  • Water pollution, caused by the discharge of industrial wastewater from commercial and industrial waste (intentionally or through spills) into surface waters; discharges of untreated sewage and chemical contaminants, such as chlorine, from treated sewage; and releases of waste and contaminants into surface runoff flowing to surface waters (including urban runoff and agricultural runoff, which may contain chemical fertilizers and pesticides, as well as human feces from open defecation).[15][16][17]

Pollutants

Blue drain and yellow fish symbol used by the UK Environment Agency to raise awareness of the ecological impacts of contaminating surface drainage

Surface runoff, also called nonpoint source pollution, from a farm field in Iowa, the United States during a rainstorm. Topsoil, as well as farm fertilizers and other potential pollutants, runoff unprotected farm fields when heavy rains occur.

A pollutant or novel entity is a substance or energy introduced into the environment that has undesired effects, or adversely affects the usefulness of a resource. These can be both naturally forming (i.e. minerals or extracted compounds like oil) or anthropogenic in origin (i.e. manufactured materials or byproducts from biodegradation). Pollutants result in environmental pollution or become public health concerns when they reach a concentration high enough to have significant negative impacts.

A pollutant may cause long- or short-term damage by changing the growth rate of plant or animal species, or by interfering with human amenities, comfort, health, or property values. Some pollutants are biodegradable and therefore will not persist in the environment in the long term. However, the degradation products of some pollutants are themselves polluting such as the products DDE and DDD produced from the degradation of DDT.

Pollution has widespread negative impacts on the environment. When analyzed from a planetary boundaries perspective, human society has released novel entities that well exceed safe levels.

Natural causes

Air pollution produced by ships may alter clouds, affecting global temperatures.

One of the most significant natural sources of pollution are volcanoes, which during eruptions release large quantities of harmful gases into the atmosphere. Volcanic gases include carbon dioxide, which can be fatal in large concentrations and contributes to climate change, hydrogen halides which can cause acid rain, sulfur dioxides, which are harmful to animals and damage the ozone layer, and hydrogen sulfides, which are capable of killing humans at concentrations of less than 1 part per thousand.[19] Volcanic emissions also include fine and ultrafine particles which may contain toxic chemicals and substances such as arsenic, lead, and mercury.[20]

Wildfires, which can be caused naturally by lightning strikes, are also a significant source of air pollution. Wildfire smoke contains significant quantities of both carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, which can cause suffocation. Large quantities of fine particulates are found within wildfire smoke as well, which pose a health risk to animals.[21]

Human generation

Motor vehicle emissions are one of the leading causes of air pollution.[22][23][24] China, United States, Russia, India[25] Mexico, and Japan are the world leaders in air pollution emissions. Principal stationary pollution sources include chemical plants, coal-fired power plants, oil refineries,[26] petrochemical plants, nuclear waste disposal activity, incinerators, large livestock farms (dairy cows, pigs, poultry, etc.), PVC factories, metals production factories, plastics factories, and other heavy industry. Agricultural air pollution comes from contemporary practices which include clear felling and burning of natural vegetation as well as spraying of pesticides and herbicides.[27]

About 400 million metric tons of hazardous wastes are generated each year.[28] The United States alone produces about 250 million metric tons.[29] Americans constitute less than 5% of the world’s population, but produce roughly 25% of the world’s CO2,[30] and generate approximately 30% of world’s waste.[31][32] In 2007, China overtook the United States as the world’s biggest producer of CO2,[33] while still far behind based on per capita pollution (ranked 78th among the world’s nations).[34]

An industrial area, with a power plant, south of Yangzhou’s downtown, China

Chlorinated hydrocarbons (CFH), heavy metals (such as chromium, cadmium – found in rechargeable batteries, and lead – found in lead paint, aviation fuel, and even in certain countries, gasoline), MTBE, zinc, arsenic, and benzene are some of the most frequent soil contaminants. A series of press reports published in 2001, culminating in the publication of the book Fateful Harvest, revealed a widespread practise of recycling industrial leftovers into fertilizer, resulting in metal poisoning of the soil.[35] Ordinary municipal landfills are the source of many chemical substances entering the soil environment (and often groundwater), emanating from the wide variety of refuse accepted, especially substances illegally discarded there, or from pre-1970 landfills that may have been subject to little control in the U.S. or EU. There have also been some unusual releases of polychlorinated dibenzodioxins, commonly called dioxins for simplicity, such as TCDD.[36]

Pollution can also occur as a result of natural disasters. Hurricanes, for example, frequently result in sewage contamination and petrochemical spills from burst boats or automobiles. When coastal oil rigs or refineries are involved, larger-scale and environmental damage is not unusual. When accidents occur, some pollution sources, such as nuclear power stations or oil ships, can create extensive and potentially catastrophic emissions.[37]

The motor vehicle is the most common cause of noise pollution, accounting for over 90% of all undesirable noise globally.

Plastic pollution it’s choking our oceans by making plastic gyres, entangling marine animals, poisoning our food and water supply, and ultimately inflicting havoc on the health and well-being of humans and wildlife globally. With the exception of a small amount that has been incinerating, virtually every piece of plastic that was ever made in the past still exists in one form or another.  And since most of the plastics don’t biodegrade in any meaningful sense, all that plastic waste could exist for hundreds or even thousands of years. If plastic production isn’t circumscribed, plastic pollution will be disastrous and will eventually outweigh fish in oceans.[38]

Greenhouse gas emissions

Historical and projected CO2 emissions by country (as of 2005).
Source: Energy Information Administration.[39][40]

Carbon dioxide, while vital for photosynthesis, is sometimes referred to as pollution, because raised levels of the gas in the atmosphere are affecting the Earth’s climate. Disruption of the environment can also highlight the connection between areas of pollution that would normally be classified separately, such as those of water and air. Recent studies have investigated the potential for long-term rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide to cause slight but critical increases in the acidity of ocean waters, and the possible effects of this on marine ecosystems.

In February 2007, a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), representing the work of 2,500 scientists, economists, and policymakers from more than 120 countries, confirmed that humans have been the primary cause of global warming since 1950. Humans have ways to cut greenhouse gas emissions and avoid the consequences of global warming, a major climate report concluded. But to change the climate, the transition from fossil fuels like coal and oil needs to occur within decades, according to the final report this year from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).[41]

Effects

Human health

Overview of main health effects on humans from some common types of pollution[42][43][44]

Pollution effects humans in every part of the world. An October 2017 study by the Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health found that global pollution, specifically toxic air, water, soils and workplaces, kills nine million people annually, which is triple the number of deaths caused by AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined, and 15 times higher than deaths caused by wars and other forms of human violence.[45] The study concluded that «pollution is one of the great existential challenges of the Anthropocene era. Pollution endangers the stability of the Earth’s support systems and threatens the continuing survival of human societies.»[3]

Adverse air quality can kill many organisms, including humans. Ozone pollution can cause respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, throat inflammation, chest pain, and congestion. A 2010 analysis estimated that 1.2 million people died prematurely each year in China because of air pollution.[46] The high smog levels China has been facing for a long time can do damage to humans’ bodies and cause different diseases.[47] The WHO estimated in 2007 that air pollution causes half a million deaths per year in India.[48] Studies have estimated that the number of people killed annually in the United States could be over 50,000.[49] A study published in 2022 in GeoHealth concluded that energy-related fossil fuel emissions in the United States cause 46,900–59,400 premature deaths each year and PM2.5-related illness and death costs the nation $537–$678 billion annually.[50]

Water pollution causes approximately 14,000 deaths per day, mostly due to contamination of drinking water by untreated sewage in developing countries. For example, an estimated 500 million Indians have no access to a proper toilet,[51][52] Over ten million people in India fell ill with waterborne illnesses in 2013, and 1,535 people died, most of them children.[53] As of 2007, nearly 500 million Chinese lack access to safe drinking water.[54]

Acute exposure to certain pollutants can have short and long term effects. Oil spills can cause skin irritations and rashes. Noise pollution induces hearing loss, high blood pressure, stress, and sleep disturbance. Mercury has been linked to developmental deficits in children and neurologic symptoms. Older people are majorly exposed to diseases induced by air pollution. Those with heart or lung disorders are at additional risk. Children and infants are also at serious risk. Lead and other heavy metals have been shown to cause neurological problems. Chemical and radioactive substances can cause cancer and as well as birth defects.

Socio economic impacts

The health impacts of pollution have both direct and lasting social consequences. A 2021 study found that exposure to pollution causes an increase in violent crime.[55] A 2019 paper linked pollution to adverse school outcomes for children.[56]A number of studies show that pollution has an adverse effect on the productivity of both indoor and outdoor workers.[57][58][59][60]

Environment

Pollution has been found to be present widely in the environment.A 2022 study published in Environmental Science & Technology found that levels of anthropogenic chemical pollution have exceeded planetary boundaries and now threaten entire ecosystems around the world.[6][7]

There are a number of effects of this:

  • Biomagnification describes situations where toxins (such as heavy metals) may pass through trophic levels, becoming exponentially more concentrated in the process.
  • Carbon dioxide emissions cause ocean acidification, the ongoing decrease in the pH of the Earth’s oceans as CO2 becomes dissolved.
  • The emission of greenhouse gases leads to global warming which affects ecosystems in many ways.
  • Invasive species can outcompete native species and reduce biodiversity. Invasive plants can contribute debris and biomolecules (allelopathy) that can alter soil and chemical compositions of an environment, often reducing native species competitiveness.
  • Nitrogen oxides are removed from the air by rain and fertilise land which can change the species composition of ecosystems.
  • Smog and haze can reduce the amount of sunlight received by plants to carry out photosynthesis and leads to the production of tropospheric ozone which damages plants.
  • Soil can become infertile and unsuitable for plants. This will affect other organisms in the food web.
  • Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides can cause acid rain which lowers the pH value of soil.
  • Organic pollution of watercourses can deplete oxygen levels and reduce species diversity.

Regulation and monitoring

To protect the environment from the adverse effects of pollution, many nations worldwide have enacted legislation to regulate various types of pollution as well as to mitigate the adverse effects of pollution. At the local level, regulation usually is supervised by environmental agencies or the broader public health system. Different jurisdictions often have different levels regulation and policy choices about pollution. Historically, polluters will lobby governments in less economically developed areas or countries to maintain lax regulation in order to protect industrialisation at the cost of human and environmental health.[citation needed]

The modern environmental regulatory environment has its origins in the United States with the beginning of industrial regulations around Air and Water pollution connected to industry and mining during the 1960s and 1970s.[61]

Because many of pollutants have trans-boundary impacts, the UN and other treaty bodies have been used to regulate pollutants that circulate as air pollution, water pollution or trade in wastes. Early international agreements were successful at addressing Global Environmental issues, such as Montreal Protocol, which banned Ozone depleting chemicals in 1987, with more recent agreements focusing on broader, more widely dispersed chemicals such as persistent organic pollutants in the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants created in 2001, such as PCBs, and the Kyoto Protocol in 1997 which initiated collaboration on addressing greenhouse gases to mitigate climate change.

Control

Air pollution control system, known as a thermal oxidizer, decomposes hazard gases from industrial air streams at a factory in the United States.

Pollution control is a term used in environmental management. It means the control of emissions and effluents into air, water or soil. Without pollution control, the waste products from overconsumption, heating, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, transportation and other human activities, whether they accumulate or disperse, will degrade the environment. In the hierarchy of controls, pollution prevention and waste minimization are more desirable than pollution control. In the field of land development, low impact development is a similar technique for the prevention of urban runoff.

Policy, law and monitoring/transparency/life-cycle assessment-attached economics could be developed and enforced to control pollution.[62] A review concluded that there is a lack of attention and action such as work on a globally supported «formal science–policy interface», e.g. to «inform intervention, influence research, and guide funding».[5]

Practices

  • Recycling
  • Reusing
  • Waste minimisation
  • Mitigating
  • Pollution prevention
  • Compost

Devices

  • Air pollution control
    • Thermal oxidizer
  • Dust collection systems
    • Baghouses
    • Cyclones
    • Electrostatic precipitators
  • Scrubbers
    • Baffle spray scrubber
    • Cyclonic spray scrubber
    • Ejector venturi scrubber
    • Mechanically aided scrubber
    • Spray tower
    • Wet scrubber
  • Sewage treatment
    • Sedimentation (Primary treatment)
    • Activated sludge biotreaters (Secondary treatment; also used for industrial wastewater)
    • Aerated lagoons
    • Constructed wetlands (also used for urban runoff)
  • Industrial wastewater treatment
    • API oil-water separators[26][63]
    • Biofilters
    • Dissolved air flotation (DAF)
    • Powdered activated carbon treatment
    • Ultrafiltration
  • Vapor recovery systems
  • Phytoremediation

Cost

Pollution has a cost.[64][65][66] Manufacturing activities that cause air pollution impose health and clean-up costs on the whole of society. A manufacturing activity that causes air pollution is an example of a negative externality in production. A negative externality in production occurs «when a firm’s production reduces the well-being of others who are not compensated by the firm.»[67] For example, if a laundry firm exists near a polluting steel manufacturing firm, there will be increased costs for the laundry firm because of the dirt and smoke produced by the steel manufacturing firm.[68] If external costs exist, such as those created by pollution, the manufacturer will choose to produce more of the product than would be produced if the manufacturer were required to pay all associated environmental costs. Because responsibility or consequence for self-directed action lies partly outside the self, an element of externalization is involved. If there are external benefits, such as in public safety, less of the good may be produced than would be the case if the producer were to receive payment for the external benefits to others. Goods and services that involve negative externalities in production, such as those that produce pollution, tend to be overproduced and underpriced since the externality is not being priced into the market.[67]

Pollution can also create costs for the firms producing the pollution. Sometimes firms choose, or are forced by regulation, to reduce the amount of pollution that they are producing. The associated costs of doing this are called abatement costs, or marginal abatement costs if measured by each additional unit.[69] In 2005 pollution abatement capital expenditures and operating costs in the US amounted to nearly $27 billion.[70]

Dirtiest industries

The Pure Earth, an international non-for-profit organization dedicated to eliminating life-threatening pollution in the developing world, issues an annual list of some of the world’s most polluting industries. Below is the list for 2016:[71]

  • Lead–acid battery recycling
  • Mining and extractive metallurgy
  • Lead smelting
  • Tanning
  • Artisanal mining
  • Landfills
  • Industrial parks
  • Chemical industry
  • Manufacturing
  • Dyeing

A 2018 report by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy and GRAIN says that the meat and dairy industries are poised to surpass the oil industry as the world’s worst polluters.[72]

Textile industry

Indigo color water pollution in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 2005

The textile industry is one of the largest polluters in the globalized world of mostly free market dominated socioeconomic systems. Chemically polluted textile wastewater degrades the quality of the soil and water.[73] The pollution comes from the type of conduct of chemical treatments used e.g., in pretreatment, dyeing, printing, and finishing operations[74] that many or most market-driven companies use despite «eco-friendly alternatives». Textile industry wastewater is considered to be one the largest polluters of water and soil ecosystems, causing «carcinogenic, mutagenic, genotoxic, cytotoxic and allergenic threats to living organisms».[75][76] The textile industry uses over 8000 chemicals in its supply chain,[77] also polluting the environment with large amounts of microplastics[78] and has been identified in one review as the industry sector producing the largest amount of pollution.[79]

A campaign of big clothing brands like Nike, Adidas and Puma to voluntarily reform their manufacturing supply chains to commit to achieving zero discharges of hazardous chemicals by 2020 (global goal)[80][81] appears to have failed.

The textile industry also creates a lot of pollution that leads to externalities which can cause large economic problems. The problem usually occurs when there is no division of ownership rights. This means that the problem of pollution is largely caused because of incomplete information about which company pollutes and at what scale the damage was caused by the pollution.

Outdoor air pollution attributable to fossil fuel use alone causes ~3.61 million deaths annually, making it one of the top contributors to human death, beyond being a major driver of climate change whereby greenhouse gases are considered per se as a form of pollution (see above).[82]

Society derives some indirect utility from pollution; otherwise, there would be no incentive to pollute. This utility may come from the consumption of goods and services that inherently create pollution (albeit the level can vary) or lower prices or lower required efforts (or inconvenience) to abandon or substitute these goods and services. Therefore, it is important that policymakers attempt to balance these indirect benefits with the costs of pollution in order to achieve an efficient outcome.[83][additional citation(s) needed]

A visual comparison of the free market and socially optimal outcomes

It is possible to use environmental economics to determine which level of pollution is deemed the social optimum. For economists, pollution is an «external cost and occurs only when one or more individuals suffer a loss of welfare». There is a socially optimal level of pollution at which welfare is maximized.[84] This is because consumers derive utility from the good or service manufactured, which will outweigh the social cost of pollution until a certain point. At this point the damage of one extra unit of pollution to society, the marginal cost of pollution, is exactly equal to the marginal benefit of consuming one more unit of the good or service.[85]

Moreover, the feasibility of pollution reduction rates could also be a factor of calculating optimal levels. While a study puts the global mean loss of life expectancy (LLE; similar to YPLL) from air pollution in 2015 at 2.9 years (substantially more than, for example, 0.3 years from all forms of direct violence), it also indicated that a significant fraction of the LLE is unavoidable in terms of current economical-technological feasibility such as aeolian dust and wildfire emission control.[86]

In markets with pollution, or other negative externalities in production, the free market equilibrium will not account for the costs of pollution on society. If the social costs of pollution are higher than the private costs incurred by the firm, then the true supply curve will be higher. The point at which the social marginal cost and market demand intersect gives the socially optimal level of pollution. At this point, the quantity will be lower and the price will be higher in comparison to the free market equilibrium.[85] Therefore, the free market outcome could be considered a market failure because it «does not maximize efficiency».[67]

This model can be used as a basis to evaluate different methods of internalizing the externality. Some examples include tariffs, a carbon tax and cap and trade systems.

History

Prior to 19th century

Air pollution has always accompanied civilizations. Pollution started from prehistoric times, when man created the first fires. According to a 1983 article in the journal Science, «soot» found on ceilings of prehistoric caves provides ample evidence of the high levels of pollution that was associated with inadequate ventilation of open fires.»[87]

Metal forging appears to be a key turning point in the creation of significant air pollution levels outside the home. Core samples of glaciers in Greenland indicate increases in pollution associated with Greek, Roman, and Chinese metal production.[88]

Air pollution in the US, 1973

The burning of coal and wood, and the presence of many horses in concentrated areas made the cities the primary sources of pollution. King Edward I of England banned the burning of sea-coal by proclamation in London in 1272, after its smoke became a problem;[89][90] the fuel was so common in England that this earliest of names for it was acquired because it could be carted away from some shores by the wheelbarrow.

19th century

It was the Industrial Revolution that gave birth to environmental pollution as we know it today. London also recorded one of the earlier extreme cases of water quality problems with the Great Stink on the Thames of 1858, which led to construction of the London sewerage system soon afterward. Pollution issues escalated as population growth far exceeded viability of neighborhoods to handle their waste problem. Reformers began to demand sewer systems and clean water.[91]

In 1870, the sanitary conditions in Berlin were among the worst in Europe. August Bebel recalled conditions before a modern sewer system was built in the late 1870s:

Waste-water from the houses collected in the gutters running alongside the curbs and emitted a truly fearsome smell. There were no public toilets in the streets or squares. Visitors, especially women, often became desperate when nature called. In the public buildings the sanitary facilities were unbelievably primitive….As a metropolis, Berlin did not emerge from a state of barbarism into civilization until after 1870.[92]

20th and 21st century

The primitive conditions were intolerable for a world national capital, and the Imperial German government brought in its scientists, engineers, and urban planners to not only solve the deficiencies, but to forge Berlin as the world’s model city. A British expert in 1906 concluded that Berlin represented «the most complete application of science, order and method of public life,» adding «it is a marvel of civic administration, the most modern and most perfectly organized city that there is.»[93]

The emergence of great factories and consumption of immense quantities of coal gave rise to unprecedented air pollution and the large volume of industrial chemical discharges added to the growing load of untreated human waste. Chicago and Cincinnati were the first two American cities to enact laws ensuring cleaner air in 1881. Pollution became a major issue in the United States in the early twentieth century, as progressive reformers took issue with air pollution caused by coal burning, water pollution caused by bad sanitation, and street pollution caused by the three million horses who worked in American cities in 1900, generating large quantities of urine and manure. As historian Martin Melosi notes, the generation that first saw automobiles replacing the horses saw cars as «miracles of cleanliness».[94] By the 1940s, automobile-caused smog was a major issue in Los Angeles.[95]

Other cities followed around the country until early in the 20th century, when the short lived Office of Air Pollution was created under the Department of the Interior. Extreme smog events were experienced by the cities of Los Angeles and Donora, Pennsylvania, in the late 1940s, serving as another public reminder.[96]

Air pollution would continue to be a problem in England, especially later during the industrial revolution, and extending into the recent past with the Great Smog of 1952. Awareness of atmospheric pollution spread widely after World War II, with fears triggered by reports of radioactive fallout from atomic warfare and testing.[97] Then a non-nuclear event – the Great Smog of 1952 in London – killed at least 4000 people.[98] This prompted some of the first major modern environmental legislation: the Clean Air Act of 1956.

Pollution began to draw major public attention in the United States between the mid-1950s and early 1970s, when Congress passed the Noise Control Act, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act.[99]

Severe incidents of pollution helped increase consciousness. PCB dumping in the Hudson River resulted in a ban by the EPA on consumption of its fish in 1974. National news stories in the late 1970s – especially the long-term dioxin contamination at Love Canal starting in 1947 and uncontrolled dumping in Valley of the Drums – led to the Superfund legislation of 1980.[100] The pollution of industrial land gave rise to the name brownfield, a term now common in city planning.

The development of nuclear science introduced radioactive contamination, which can remain lethally radioactive for hundreds of thousands of years. Lake Karachay – named by the Worldwatch Institute as the «most polluted spot» on earth – served as a disposal site for the Soviet Union throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Chelyabinsk, Russia, is considered the «Most polluted place on the planet».[101]

Nuclear weapons continued to be tested in the Cold War, especially in the earlier stages of their development. The toll on the worst-affected populations and the growth since then in understanding about the critical threat to human health posed by radioactivity has also been a prohibitive complication associated with nuclear power. Though extreme care is practiced in that industry, the potential for disaster suggested by incidents such as those at Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima pose a lingering specter of public mistrust. Worldwide publicity has been intense on those disasters.[102] Widespread support for test ban treaties has ended almost all nuclear testing in the atmosphere.[103]

International catastrophes such as the wreck of the Amoco Cadiz oil tanker off the coast of Brittany in 1978 and the Bhopal disaster in 1984 have demonstrated the universality of such events and the scale on which efforts to address them needed to engage. The borderless nature of atmosphere and oceans inevitably resulted in the implication of pollution on a planetary level with the issue of global warming. Most recently the term persistent organic pollutant (POP) has come to describe a group of chemicals such as PBDEs and PFCs among others. Though their effects remain somewhat less well understood owing to a lack of experimental data, they have been detected in various ecological habitats far removed from industrial activity such as the Arctic, demonstrating diffusion and bioaccumulation after only a relatively brief period of widespread use.

A much more recently discovered problem is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a huge concentration of plastics, chemical sludge and other debris which has been collected into a large area of the Pacific Ocean by the North Pacific Gyre. This is a less well known pollution problem than the others described above, but nonetheless has multiple and serious consequences such as increasing wildlife mortality, the spread of invasive species and human ingestion of toxic chemicals. Organizations such as 5 Gyres have researched the pollution and, along with artists like Marina DeBris, are working toward publicizing the issue.

Pollution introduced by light at night is becoming a global problem, more severe in urban centres, but nonetheless contaminating also large territories, far away from towns.[104]

Growing evidence of local and global pollution and an increasingly informed public over time have given rise to environmentalism and the environmental movement, which generally seek to limit human impact on the environment.

See also

  • Biological contamination
  • Chemical contamination
  • Environmental health
  • Environmental racism
  • Hazardous Substances Data Bank
  • Overpopulation
  • Neuroplastic effects of pollution
  • Pollutant release and transfer register
  • Polluter pays principle
  • Pollution haven hypothesis
  • Regulation of greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act
  • Pollution is Colonialism
  • Sacrifice zone

Air pollution


  • Air dispersion modeling
  • Arden Pope
  • Atmospheric chemistry observational databases – links to freely available data.
  • Emission standard
  • Greenhouse gas
  • List of least polluted cities

Soil contamination


  • Environmental soil science
  • List of solid waste treatment technologies
  • List of waste management companies
  • List of waste management topics

Water pollution


  • Cruise ship pollution
  • Marine debris
  • Marine pollution
  • Ship pollution
  • Stormwater
  • Municipal wastewater
  • Industrial wastewater
  • Wastewater quality indicators

Other


  • Alkaline precipitation
  • Citizen science
  • Climate change
  • Contamination control
  • Earth Day
  • Electromagnetic radiation and health
  • Externality
  • Genetic pollution
  • Heat pollution
  • Light pollution
  • List of environmental issues
  • Noise health effects
  • Space debris
  • Radioactivity
  • Effects of Climate Change

References

  1. ^ «Pollution – Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary». Merriam-Webster. 2010-08-13. Retrieved 2010-08-26.
  2. ^ Beil, Laura (15 November 2017). «Pollution killed 9 million people in 2015». Science News. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
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External links

  • OEHHA proposition 65 list
  • National Toxicology Program – from US National Institutes of Health. Reports and studies on how pollutants affect people
  • TOXNET – NIH databases and reports on toxicology
  • TOXMAP – Geographic Information System (GIS) that uses maps of the United States to help users visually explore data from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Toxics Release Inventory and Superfund Basic Research Programs
  • EPA.gov – manages Superfund sites and the pollutants in them (CERCLA). Map the EPA Superfund
  • Toxic Release Inventory – tracks how much waste US companies release into the water and air. Gives permits for releasing specific quantities of these pollutants each year.
  • Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry – Top 20 pollutants, how they affect people, what US industries use them and the products in which they are found
  • Chelyabinsk: The Most Contaminated Spot on the Planet Documentary Film by Slawomir Grünberg (1996)
  • Nieman Reports | Tracking Toxics When the Data Are Polluted

Industrialization has contributed to various types of pollution.

Industrialization has contributed to various types of pollution.

Pollution is the act of introducing harmful substances to the environment that results in harming the natural surroundings. Substances that cause pollution are referred to as pollutants. These polluting substances are so diverse and they include chemical products, waste material, light, heat, and noise among others. Due to the diverse nature of pollutants in the world, there are various types of pollution such as water pollution, noise pollution, air pollution, soil contamination, radioactive pollution, and plastic pollution. While some pollution occurs through natural events such as volcanic eruptions and forest fires, most of the pollution in the world is caused by human activities.

History of Pollution

The issue of pollution is as old as human civilization. In medieval times, air pollution was caused by open fires in caves. The ancient humans also lacked proper waste disposal systems and rubble heaps from ancient times shows evidence of pollution. In the early days when the human population was still quite low, pollution did not pose a significant threat to the environment, however, as human civilization progressed and the human population rose, environmental pollution became a serious problem. Currently, pollution is a monumental problem in the world mainly caused by rapid industrialization and a sharp population increase. Conservationists and environmental campaigners began pushing for environmental protection in the mid-20th century.

Causes of Pollution

There are numerous causes of pollution all over the world. For example, air pollution may occur from burning waste material, mining, car emissions, agriculture, and warfare. Vehicle emissions are ranked as the leading cause of air pollution in the world. Vehicles also lead to causing noise pollution in the world. Other significant environmental pollutants are chemical factories, oil refineries, big livestock farms, plastic products, pesticides, and heavy metals. Natural disasters such as hurricanes, flooding, earthquakes, and droughts also lead to environmental pollution. In rare instances, pollution leads to considerable environmental damage and fatal consequences like in case of nuclear plant accidents and significant oil spills.

Effects of Pollution

Environmental pollution results in diverse harmful effects on living creatures and the surroundings. Air pollution often leads to health problems in humans such as respiratory diseases, heart diseases, and other ailments. Additionally, polluted air results in acidic rain which is harmful in the soil. Water pollution is a significant cause of death in most developing countries. Noise pollution often results in hearing loss, stress, sleeping problems, and even high blood pressure. Environmental pollution caused by chemicals like lead and mercury mostly lead to developmental problems in children and health complications in adults. On the global scale, pollution often results in an imbalance in the ecosystem and elimination of some endangered species. Research has shown that pollution leads to reduced productivity for workers around the world.

Controlling Pollution

Most countries have adopted measures to control pollution or reduce pollution and therefore lessen the harmful effects. The steps are critical to ensuring the environment is not destroyed through unchecked human activity. Some of the measures taken to control pollution are recycling of reusable materials, treating waste before releasing it into the environment, making compost from waste material, and reducing waste products from industrial activities. Additionally, the use of technology in controlling pollution is picking up in most developed nations.

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The word “Pollution” is much familiar for us as we live in a much polluted environment and in a place where there is lot of hues and cries regarding pollution. Do you know what exactly pollution is and the factors that cause pollution. Let us discuss and debate over it.

What is pollution?

Pollution is the contamination of a substrate when harmful and foreign substances are added to it. This substrate can be air, water or soil. The additive substances can be of any form –solid, liquid or gases. This leads to poisoning of the medium, making it unfit to be used.

Pollution occurs in all media. In this series we will consider the pollution of the environment. This is a very important subject as it affects all aspects of life not just of humans but of plants animals and above all the reveals the forbearing and sensitive nature of our planet- Earth

How is pollution caused? When did it begin? What were the indications that started to ring alarm bells? What can be done to bring things back to the natural order? Many questions for which answers have to be given

what is pollution and reasons of pollution

As you have heard there is air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution, noise pollution, thermal and nuclear pollution and lots more. Let’s begin with the most common causes

Burning of Fossil fuels

Wood, Coal, petroleum and natural gas are burned in large quantities to produce energy for electricity, mobilization , transport and as basic fuel for house hold needs. The end products of this process are released into the air, water and land. This is by far the most important factor causing pollution. This alone has led many to search for more environmentally friendly sources of energy

Industrialization

The increased need for goods, the growth of economy, job creation, easier production, use of machinery to do a lot in less time were all said to be the guiding factors of industrial revolution. We have all heard of the reasons why the Industrial Revolution from the 18th -19th centuries was such a big thing. Was it possible to look into the future and see the effects of this on our planet?

Industries that are into manufacturing, steel and iron industries, oil refineries, and plastic and textiles factories, dyeing plants are few industries that budded during the industrial revolution. The numbers just go on. These deal with so much chemicals and fossil fuels that their waste products and end products are released into the surrounding air, water, and land causing large scale contamination.

Mining

Mining industries strip the ground of its strong structure, cause contamination of surrounding water bodies, release huge amounts of particulate matter in to the air that it end up choking the living beings including humans.

Transport

Transportation is the backbone of every economy. Cars , trucks, trains  ships airplanes are always in use. These run on fuel and release the greatest amount of exhaust gases into the atmosphere. At no point of time do we see any reduction in the number of vehicles on the roads. These keep increasing by the day.

Infrastructure of towns and cities

In towns and cities where a large number of people stay there is always scope for contaminating the environment.

Waste water treatment plants, correct forms of garbage disposal, sewage treatment plants- these are essential to maintain a good equilibrium in city life. If these are not running properly, are ill maintained or not even available, there will always be disease and death.

Landfills which are usually considered as waste disposal solution in fact lead to seepage of many poisonous products into the ground and are a breeding ground for microorganisms

Agricultural practices

Most chemicals like insecticides, ripening agents, pesticides weedicides and fertilizers are often sprayed on the farms to increase yield.  All these chemicals are not used up but most are carried away by the wind and run off water to adjacent areas polluting the air, land and surrounding water bodies

Increased Livestock

Funny but true! Cattle and other livestock are now said to be causing an increase in methane in the atmosphere with their natural digestive functions. But this doesn’t stop their rearing because of the huge economic factors behind this industry.

Radioactive waste

This is a very important factor in causing pollution because of the sheer increase in the number of nuclear plants. In order to reduce dependency on fossil fuels, we now turn to nuclear energy calling it clean. But there is radioactive waste that is produced which is difficult to dispose of.

Unnecessary and excessive use of diagnostic Xrays is a form of pollution

Plastic waste disposal

A mind boggling puzzle! What do you do with all the plastic waste that is generated each day? This is non-biodegradable, which means it will not rot, melt or disappear. In cities and towns garbage dumps are an eyesore, above all a breeding ground for disease causing organisms.

If you thought burning all this plastic waste would be a solution, this leads to more trouble as by-products settle in the ground literally eliminating the fertility of the soil and poisonous fumes are released into the air.

Electronic Waste Disposal

Have not each one of us worried about how to dispose of our spent batteries or cells. Now as we get a new mobile what do we do with the old one? What about old TVs Refrigerators, Washing machines and other machines that have reached a state of disrepair?

Disposal of e- waste must be arranged in an organised manner. Many of these gadgets contain heavy metals, chemicals and plastics which are harmful for the surroundings.

Deforestation

Though not directly causing pollution, By cutting down trees the basic anchorage of the soil is removed and it facilitates soil erosion.

Removing green cover also facilitates pollution because trees help to clean up the atmosphere to a good extent. Planning cities with green spaces will help to keep the air relatively cleaner.

Indoor Pollution

Improper storage of cleaning products, over use of insect repellents, overuse of air conditioning or over heating without sufficient ventilation cause indoor pollution. When the house has been painted, notice the lingering smell as the paint dries. This is release of the paint chemicals which pollute the indoors.

Passive smoking ie non-smokers inhaling the smoky vapours of a burning cigar or cigar rete are also subject to indoor pollution. Passive smoking also is a leading cause of lung cancer

Sometimes even growing inappropriate green plants indoors depletes the rooms of usable oxygen, which is a form of pollution

Synthetic fibres in furnishings release by products slowly into the air and also absorb heat more than natural fibres.

Natural causes of pollution

These are far less frequent and do not contribute immensely to pollution. Nevertheless it is important to mention these. Volcanic eruptions, forest fires, methane from swamps and marshes are some of the natural occurrences where toxic substances are released into the environment.

Also read : Different types of Pollution

Conclusion

The list above is in no way exhaustive. There are many processes and materials that are invented and produced on a daily basis that can be wonderful and terrifying at the same time

The main reason behind pollution is basically the over consumptive and wasteful nature of man that does not allow him to enjoy what he has to a limit. Rather than take a walk in the park one prefers to be seated before the TV /computer /mobile. It’s time to decide for ourselves which is more harmful for us and the environment

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In this article, we will learn what is pollution, its definition, meaning, types, causes, effects, solutions, etc. Let’s explore!

In this 21st century, we all know well about detailed pollution. In a simple word, the concept of pollution is termed as “harmful air, environment, and water.” Urbanization and industrialization in today’s era are increasing and growing at a rapid pace and pollution. All the poisonous materials are getting added to the environment, and similarly, it increases the risk to people’s health.  Our activities that are taking place creating more and more pollution in the environment than nature.

As of now, we are all are getting the holistic detail of the pollution through, android phones, newspapers, and other Media. Every day we also see that government takes several steps to stop this, but it is not easy for now totally set the environment free from pollution.

what pollution definition meaning types causes effects solutions
What pollution definition meaning types causes effects solutions

With this regard, we will understand in this context the types of pollution and their related pollutants. We first need to understand the definition, similarities, and differences between pollution and pollutants. Pollution can be understood as the poisonous substance that affects all the floras as well as faunas. The activities of human beings contribute too much to creating pollution. As per the needs and demands of humans, all the sectors are growing rapidly, and it is, however, affecting dangerously. To understand the pollutants, we have to understand that pollutants are those substances that are added to creating pollution.

Types of Pollution

The major types of pollution are:

  • Air Pollution
  • Noise pollution
  • Water pollution
  • Land Pollution

These all are considered to be the major pollutions affecting our environment badly.

Air Pollution and Its Pollutants

Air Pollution is the most dangerous and harmful for human health. The major reason for this is we breathe; without breathing, it is impossible to survive. But, to survive, we are living in harmful air. The release of harmful pollutants in the air has increased the lifetime risk for humans, animals, and plants. Destructive climate change has taken place, which has a direct impact on everything. We all know that due to climate change, the temperature is increasing rapidly. In this 21st century, every year the record breaks temperature increases and becoming a problem for all the living beings.

Air Pollutants that are considered the reason for Air Pollution are Sulphur Dioxide, Nitrogen Dioxide, Ozone layer depletion, and Carbon Monoxide. Excessive industrialization in the different parts of the world has led to increases in the harmful gases in the air. Most of the factories have burning, which releases smog and then harmful gases in the air. The well-developed cities are highly polluted, and most of the health-related problems can be seen there.

Causes and Effects of Air Pollution: The causes of Air pollution are

  • Factories emission
  • Vehicles smog
  • Fossil Fuels burning
  • Fires in Forest
  • Garbage Burning
  • Power plants emissions
  • Emission of Methane
  • Breathing issues start
  • A problem like asthma etc., takes place.

Effects of Air Pollution: Presently, we can say that all these air pollution causes have contributed to climatic change, which has increased global warming. An increase in global warming has created serious issues such as ozone layer depletion and others. Too much climatic level change has totally disturbed human lives.

Solutions for Air Pollution

  • Overuse of Recourses should be stopped, and consumption in a minimum way should be followed.
  • Continuous emission of carbon should be taken into control. Until and unless it gets controlled, it is hard to control Air pollution.
  • The climatic change due to Air pollution has led to Acid Rain. Moreover, every day we are getting news about the depletion of the ozone layer and increasing global warming. This has to be stopped, or it can be more severe for the living beings on earth.
  • The government should keep on taking strict measures for all the carbon emission industries to control this.

Water Pollution

In the present scenario, we have seen how the scarcity of water creates problems for the people. Especially all the urbanized and well-developed cities are facing this problem at a higher rate. We are not even getting the proper pure purified water to drink. All we are left with is to buy the water and drink.

Due to the impure water, many diseases are taking place, and people are falling sick daily. We will understand water pollution, its causes, and the steps to reduce the increase in this context.

Pollutants of Water Pollution

  • Land waste disposal
  • Oil Waste Disposal in water
  • Thermal Disposal
  • Agricultural Wastes

In the water bodies, aquatic life takes place, and due to all these wastes, all the aquatic animals are getting endangered and defoliated. It has been almost impossible to save lives as all the wastes are disposed of in the said water bodies.

The quality of water has been decreasing day by day, and now it has been observed that people are finding it too difficult to get pure water to drink. Without drinking, it is impossible to survive, so we need clean and purified water to drink. Less contaminated water has a high risk of spreading the disease in the human body, and quality water is the most important source for the human body to drink.

Causes and Effects of Water Pollution: Our Ecosystem has totally got detrained because of the unpolluted water. The ponds, lakes, and water bodies are getting polluted daily, and all living beings are bound to drink. All the factories’ sewages, as well as land wastes, are disposed of in the water. The real causes of water pollution are explained below:

  • Oil Wastes in Water bodies: Every day, all the oil refineries industries are disposing of the oil sewage in the large water bodies, for, e.g., ocean, seas, etc. When this sewage is disposed of in the large water dries, the water in the large amount gets polluted, and the aquatic lives also get affected at a higher rate.
  • Urbanization: Urbanization is the most eligible cause of water pollution. Urban wastes are dangerous and are obtained in the highest amount from the big cities. The worst part is that apart from disposing of these wastes in the ground, these are also disposed of in the water bodies, which affects badly.
  • Factories waste: Factories dumps are also disposed of in the water, making it too impure and useless for human beings to drink and increases wastewater.
  • All this water that becomes contaminated increases the disease likes malaria and cholera etc.

Solutions to Reduce Water Pollution

  • Excessive dumping of wastage and sewage should be reduced.
  • A high amount of wastages should be dumped under the ground.
  • Plastic bags disposal in the water should be totally avoided.
  • Waste treatment options should be found out accordingly.
  • Saving water is excessively important so wastage of it without any use should be stopped.

Noise Pollution

The kind of pollution which we will be discussing next in this context is Noise Pollution. Noise is something that distracts the human brain and other living beings if it is played loud. This can be considered as unwanted noise that disturbs living organisms. The loud noise can be risky as some people face increased sugar levels, blood pressure, etc.

The loud noise impacts not only adults but also affects infants and old-aged groups. Every day we all hear different kinds of sounds on the road, and we get used to it. But it is also having a bad impact on human health, leading to increased stress kind of problem in humans.

Pollutants of Noise Pollution

  • Vehicles sound on roads and highways
  • Factories heavy machines sound that run daily
  • Loudspeaker music sound
  • Household work sound
  • Noise of Generators

The different pollutant of Noise pollution is so disturbing that directly affects human increase and because of this heart risk problems and stress level of human beings are increasing on a higher rate. Some people also start facing problems like depression due to this. The noise pollution has to stop to increase its impacts and risks.

Causes and Effects of Noise Pollution: The causes of Noise pollution are discussed below:

  • Increase in Stress level
  • Mental disorder level
  • Machines sound
  • Manufacturing sounds noise
  • Construction sounds noise
  • Sleep disorder
  • Hearing ability decreases
  • Humans can become deaf
  • Memories of human beings are getting weak day by day, and this is the severe impact of Noise pollution on humans.

Solutions to prevent Noise Pollution: As noise pollution is a kind of threat to human beings, some measures should be taken to prevent noise pollution.

  • Avoiding staying in too much noise
  • Avoiding take part in noisy parties
  • Government should take strict actions and create some parameters, and the rule should not be broken.
  • Some of the areas of the cities should be noise-free such as children’s parks etc. The protocol should be followed by each and every people, and this should not be avoided.
  • Creating awareness among human beings about the bad impact of noise on human health. The understanding of this kind of pollution should be made aware or else this can be more severe.
  • The use of headsets, earphones, and loudspeakers should be decreased as people currently use them mostly and without following any measures.

Land pollution

Land Pollution is the other kind of severe pollution directly putting impact on all kinds of living organisms. The wastes present on land have led to an increase in different diseases, and it certainly affected everyone.  The soil on the ground gets in contact with the waste, and then it goes inside the groundwater, making it dirty and unhygienic for the human body. People every day through the garbage’s on the roads even after putting the dustbins. Due to this increase of land waste, animals are getting more affected as they eat that waste and die both of choke and other reasons.

Pollutants of Land Pollution: The different kinds of Pollutants of land are discussed below:

  • Firstly, we can consider the pollutant as agricultural waste.
  • Mining wastes disposed of on land.
  • Too much industrialization and urbanization
  • Deforestation of the forest: Deforestation leads to soil erosion, and this automatically leads to land pollution
  • Increase of construction work every day.

Causes and effects of land pollution

  • When land pollution increases, it leads to an increase in soil erosion. The increase in soil erosion makes the soil infertile, which is not good for agricultural purposes. Farmer’s lives depend on agriculture, and they work hard too much. But the increase in the infertility of soil makes their hard work in vain.
  • The land pollution simultaneously impacts the groundwater, and once the underground water gets affected, such water becomes poisonous to drink.
  • Loss in pure drinking water.
  • To make the cities and other places more developed, governments are cutting trees every day, which has increased deforestation activity. Deforestation does not prevent the soil and ultimately results in land pollution.
  • All the agricultural and other mining wastes are dropped and disposed of on the road leading to land pollution.
  • Animal animals’ lives are getting at risk as they starve and eat whatever garbage is thrown on roads, for, instance plastic, bags, etc.
  • Most of the Non- Biodegradable wastes are dumped, which is neither decomposed nor burned.
  • It can be said that the lands are becoming barren and unproductive due to the explosion of land pollution.

Solutions to prevent land Pollution

  • To prevent land pollution, people should understand bio-degradable and non-biodegradable wastes.
  • Bio-degradable waste can be decomposed, not making it riskier for human lives, but non-biodegradable wastes are too dangerous for all kinds of living beings.
  • Deforestation has to be decreased. A tree helps catch the soil, but the soil erodes away and becomes infertile when trees are cut. As a result of it, the poor farmer starts facing problems.
  • Mining activities should be decreased, and it should not directly affect and destroy the fertility of soil and land.
  • Landfills in the same place should be avoided and kept away.
  • Government should take some measures to treat the sewage wastes.

Overall, from the context, it can be understood that these kinds of pollution are putting an impact on the environment and human health, and these have to be taken into control.

Conclusion

Hence, we have learned what is pollution, its definition, meaning, types, causes, effects, solutions, etc.

загрязнение, осквернение, поллюция

существительное

- загрязнение
- загрязнение окружающей среды

air [water] pollution — загрязнение воздуха [воды]
pollution abatement — меры по предотвращению или уменьшению загрязнения окружающей среды

- осквернение
- развращение
- физиол. поллюция

Мои примеры

Словосочетания

the discovery of pollution in the river — обнаружение наличия загрязнений в реке  
a gasoline additive to reduce pollution — присадка к бензину для уменьшения загрязнения воздуха  
the baleful effects of water pollution — пагубные последствия загрязнения воды  
to control pollution — бороться с загрязнением  
a session on problems of air pollution — заседание по вопросам загрязнения окружающей среды  
air pollution control equipment — воздухоочистное оборудование  
pollution control — меры по охране окружающей среды  
percolation of pollution — просачивание загрязнения  
noise pollution — шумовое загрязнение  
sound pollution — шумовое загрязнение  
water pollution — загрязнение воды, водоемов  
pollution of environment — загрязнение окружающей среды  

Примеры с переводом

Pollution from cars has become a major problem.

Загрязнение окружающей среды автомобилями стало серьёзной проблемой.

Pollution has degraded air quality.

Загрязнение ухудшило качество воздуха.

Pollution is bad for the environment.

Загрязнения вредны для окружающей среды.

The fish are dying of pollution.

Рыба гибнет от загрязнения воды.

We’re doing a project on pollution.

Мы делаем проект по теме загрязнения окружающей среды.

Pollution is no respecter of international borders.

Загрязнение среды не признаёт государственных границ.

Water Pollution Control Federation

Федерация по контролю над загрязнением вод (США)

ещё 23 примера свернуть

Примеры, ожидающие перевода

There’s no quick fix for stopping pollution.

Poverty is a more pressing problem than pollution.

Pollution and neglect have conspired to ruin the city.

Для того чтобы добавить вариант перевода, кликните по иконке , напротив примера.

Возможные однокоренные слова

polluted  — загрязненный, развращенный
polluter  — источник загрязнения, источник загрязнений, загрязнитель

Even if we are heading towards a cleaner future, mankind still suffers today due to the increased level of air, soil and water pollution that destroys the environment. and affects the life of many people.

What is Pollution? – Definition

Pollution represents the release of contaminants into the air, water and soil, which harms the environment and our health.

The harmful gases and substances released into the environment are causing in some cases, changes in the natural habitat that are affecting the local flora and fauna.

Pollution appears in many forms such as: gas, chemical substances, energy, heat or light, and even noise.

The substances that pollute are called pollutants and they are either foreign substances or energies, or even naturally occurring contaminants.

Pollution is often classified as point source or nonpoint source, which means that the first type of pollution (point source) can be identified, monitored and controlled, while the other type of pollution (nonpoint source) can be identified, but they difficult to control.

Types of Pollution

Pollution appears in many forms such as: air pollution, soil contamination, water pollution, radioactive contamination, littering, thermal pollution, noise pollution, visual pollution, light pollution and plastic pollution.

All these types of pollution are listed below along with the contaminant specific to them.

There are several reasons why we produce pollution on the planet.

1. Air Pollution

The pollution of the air is represented by the release of harmful chemicals and particulates into the atmosphere that are affecting the human health and the environment.

Air pollution is caused by industry sectors that are releasing (due to their activity) large amounts of chemical substances into the atmosphere every day, by the power plants and the engines that burn fossil fuels, by the stoves that are burning fossil fuels for heating (during the winter), and by the daily human activities (cooking, driving etc.).

Greenhouse gases increasing the greenhouse effect on the planet

The most common pollutants that are causing air pollution include carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

Particulate matter (PM) or simply particulates, are represented by the very fine dust (microscopic solid or liquid matter) that is suspended in the Earth’s atmosphere and is considered the deadliest form of air pollution because can penetrate very deep into our lungs and blood streams without being filtered, and can cause permanent DNA mutations, heart attacks or even premature death.

All these toxic gases are released every day into the atmosphere by the industry, by the engines of the cars that burn fossil fuels and by our activities, and can produce in some areas acid rains.

The continuous release of harmful gases into the atmosphere leads to global warming that slowly produces the change of the climate conditions here on planet Earth.

2. Soil Contamination

Soil contamination occurs when harmful chemical substances are released or spilled on the soil or underground.

Once the soil gets contaminated with unwanted chemicals, the life of plants and even the habitat of some animals and birds might be seriously affected.

The soil is usually contaminated by the following substances: hydrocarbons, herbicides, pesticides, heavy metals, MTBE (Methyl tert-butyl ether) and chlorinated hydrocarbons.

3. Water Pollution

The pollution of the water occurs when wastewater (produced by industrial and commercial activity) is discharged intentionally or by mistake in natural water sources.

Actually, any kind of wastewater (from sewage, containing chemical contaminants, urban and agricultural runoff that can contain chemical fertilizers and pesticides, etc.) that is discharged in any source of natural water leads to water pollution.

Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) for shale oil and gas, can contaminate drinking water under certain conditions (when the fluids used in the fracking process are reaching the water table leading to the contamination of the water in the area.

4. Radioactive Contamination

This type of pollution has first appeared in the 20th century due to the research done in the nuclear field that has led to the construction of nuclear power stations for power generation, and the research and manufacture of nuclear weapons.

Nuclear waste (radioactive waste) is produced by nuclear power plants or by the factories that use radioactive material in the production process.

Radioactive contamination occurs when nuclear waste is not disposed properly or when a nuclear power station suffers a major malfunction that leads to a nuclear accident (Chernobyl disaster in 1986, Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011 etc.)

5. Littering

Occurs when people fail to dispose their garbage properly.

Litter consists of waste objects such as plastic bottles, aluminum cans, cardboard boxes, paper, plastic bags, etc. that are thrown to the ground and left there by people that don’t respect the environment.

6. Thermal Pollution

Takes place when the temperature is changed in the natural water bodies due to human activity.

Power plants and industrial manufacturers use water in the cooling process and the heated water that results is returned to the natural environment and affects the ecosystem by decreasing the oxygen supply in the water source.

7. Noise Pollution

Is produced by the industrial and commercial activity and by the transportation system.

People and animals that live close to: a factory, a commercial center, a railroad, a highway, an airport etc. could suffer due to noise pollution.

Noise pollution could even cause the death of marine life (whales and other species) when they are exposed to the very loud sound produced by military sonars.

8. Visual Pollution

Visual pollution changes the natural environment in a negative manner disturbing this way the visual area of people.

Open storages of trash, space debris, a large number of billboards, telephone towers, a large number of electric wires, a large number of vehicles or buildings in a small place, all these create overcrowding that leads to visual pollution.

9. Light Pollution

Photopollution or light pollution refers to artificial light that is excessive, misdirected and obtrusive.

Light pollution usually occurs in urban areas due to the increased number of street light poles, billboards, commercials, and also to the different events that take place during the night etc.

10. Plastic Pollution

Plastic pollution refers to the accumulation of plastic products into the environment, which negatively affects wildlife, the habitat of different birds and animals, and even the humans that actually cause this type of pollution.

Due to the fact that plastics degrade very slowly, the accumulation of plastic waste can compromise lands, waterways and even the oceans.

Uneducated people that have no respect for keeping the nature clean are usually the ones that cause this type of pollution with negative impact on the environment.

What Are the Effects of Pollution on the Environment?

The different types of pollution are affecting the environment and the human life differently.

Air pollution leads to the accumulation of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere such as carbon dioxide (CO2), water vapours, methane (CH4), nitrous oxide and CFCs, which creates the greenhouse effect and leads to global warming and climate change.

The release of toxic gases into the atmosphere such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide leads to the apparition of acid rains.

The intensive use of coal for heating during the winter, the increased number of cars on the road due to cold weather, and the lack of wind, leads to the apparition of smog, which restricts the sunlight from reaching the surface of the Earth, and this way, the photosynthesis process made by the green plants is seriously affected.

The human health is very affected by air pollution that can cause cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, chest pain, throat inflammation, asthma, and in some cases even lung cancer.

The land and the natural resources of water are very affected by the man-made pollution because when the soil is contaminated with dangerous substances like the landfills, or by insecticides and pesticides (farmland), it becomes unusable for agriculture or for wildlife, and when a water contamination occurs (an oil spill can seriously affect the marine life, and a wastewater spill can compromise an entire source of water).

What Can We Do to Reduce Pollution?

The only solution available today to stop or at least to reduce pollution here on planet Earth is represented by the slow transition toward a greener future.

The most polluting energy sources represented by fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas must be slowly replaced by cleaner energy sources such as solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, biomass, wave and so on.

To reduce air pollution we need to replace the vehicles that use diesel and gasoline based engines with electric vehicles with zero emissions.

pollution in China

Smog in China due to the massive use of coal for energy and heating.

Conclusion

The transition towards a massive use of the electric vehicles in the world will take at least one decade or even more, but the signs of the transition can be already seen all over the planet, even if Donald Trump won the presidency in the U.S. and has plans to revive the coal sector in the country while ignoring the signs of climate change.

Meaning Pollution

What does Pollution mean? Here you find 84 meanings of the word Pollution. You can also add a definition of Pollution yourself

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Physical, chemical, or biological change in the characteristics of some component of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, or biosphere that adversely influences the health, survival, or activitie [..]

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Pollution

Introduction of pollutants into a solid, liquid, or gaseous environmental medium, the presence of pollutants in a solid, liquid, or gaseous environmental medium, or any undesirable modification of the [..]

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Pollution

The presence of substances and heat in environmental media (air, water, land) whose nature, location, or quantity produces undesirable environmental effects; an activity that generates pollutants

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Pollution

The contamination of an environment by substances regarded as pollutants. Liability from pollution is normally excluded to some degree by the general, auto, and umbrella liability policies. In recen [..]

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Pollution

mid-14c., «discharge of semen other than during sex,» later, «desecration, defilement» (late 14c.), from Late Latin pollutionem (nominative pollutio) «defilement,» noun o [..]

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Pollution

Befouling the pure state of the environment. A workable definition of pollution is dependent on the public’s decision as to what use it wants to make of its environment.

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Pollution

introduction of harmful materials into the environment. Read more in the NG Education Encyclopedia

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Pollution

Anything that affects the quality of land, air, water or soils, which might lead to an adverse impact on human health, the natural environment or general amenity. Pollution can arise from a range of emissions, including smoke, fumes, gases, dust, steam, odour, noise and light.

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Pollution

Any waste that imposes an opportunity cost when it’s returned to the natural environment. Pollution is one of the more prevalent examples of an externality cost and market failure. Examples inclu [..]

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Pollution

undesirable state of the natural environment being contaminated with harmful substances as a consequence of human activities befoulment: the state of being polluted (polluted) contaminated: rendered u [..]

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Pollution

One of the principal constraints of the environment.  Refers to the contamination of soil, water, or air by noxious substances. (See also Depletion, Environment, and Intensification.)

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Pollution

The introduction of harmful substances or heat energy into the environment by humans. polyandrous

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Pollution

noun. the existence of poisons or toxic agents in the surroundings.

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Pollution

The contamination of the environment by humans. It usually means the ruining of water, air and land by waste. Sometimes billboards, junkyards, light and noise can be called pollution too!

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Pollution

(L: polluere= to defile, contaminate) the contamination of a natural ecosystem by wastes from human activities. The contaminants may be nutrients, that initially stimulate growth of primary producers, [..]

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Pollution

environmental contamination.

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Pollution

Human and natural contamination of the environment by chemicals or heat energy to the extent that existing habitats are threatened or populations of organisms are endangered.

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Pollution

Any atypical contributions to the environment resulting from the activities of humans.

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Pollution

the presence of chemicals, noise, dirt or other substances which have harmful or poisonous effects on an environment 

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Pollution

Materials that are not supposed to be in the river make it dirty.

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Pollution

When harmful substances are released into the environment.

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Pollution

Pollution is legally defined as the wrongful contamination of the atmosphere, water or soil to the material injury of the right of an individual. Air pollutants may be either particles or gases. They [..]

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Pollution

(n) undesirable state of the natural environment being contaminated with harmful substances as a consequence of human activities(n) the state of being polluted(n) the act of contaminating or pollut [..]

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Pollution

The introduction by man, directly or indirectly, of substances or energy into the maritime area which results, or is likely to result, in hazards to human health, harm to living resources and marine e [..]

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Pollution

The introduction by man, directly or indirectly, of substances or energy into the maritime area which results, or is likely to result, in hazards to human health, harm to living resources and marine e [..]

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Pollution

Substance or substances used to pollute

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Pollution

To make unfit for or harmful to living things, especially by the addition of waste matter.

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Pollution

Any type of emission, seepage, or discharge that causes damage or injury to property or people. Most property insurance policies have either an exclusion or a limitation on pollution and spell out in detail what pollution is.

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Pollution

The presence of a substance in the environment that because of its chemical composition or quantity prevents the functioning of natural processes and produces undesirable environmental and health effects. Can be land, water or air based.

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Pollution

The presence of a substance which is damaging

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Pollution

The contamination of air, water, or soil by substances that are harmful to living organisms

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Pollution

Waste, often made by humans, that damages the water, the air, and the soil.

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Pollution

Any substance that is present in or has been introduced into the environment and has harmful or unpleasant effects. Pollution comes in many forms, and may be present in air, land, water, or organisms. [..]

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Pollution

Any substance introduced into the ocean that has unpleasant or harmful effects. Although ocean pollution often comes from direct sources, such as sewage or industrial liquid waste emitted by sewage tr [..]

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Pollution

Any substance introduced into water or a body of water that has unpleasant or harmful effects. Although water pollution often comes from direct sources, such as effluent emitted into lakes and rivers [..]

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Pollution

The introduction of pollutants into a solid, liquid, or gaseous medium, the presence of pollutants in a solid, liquid, or gaseous medium, or any undesirable modification of the composition of a solid, [..]

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Pollution

Any substances in water, soil, or air that degrade the natural quality of the environment, offend the senses of sight, taste, or smell, or cause a health hazard.

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Pollution

Generally, the presence of a substance in the environment that because of its chemical composition or quantity prevents the functioning of natural processes and produces undesirable environmental and [..]

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Pollution

Any substances in water, soil, or air that degrade the natural quality of the environment, offend the senses of sight, taste, or smell, or cause a health hazard. The usefulness of the natural resource [..]

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Pollution

Generally, the presence of a substance in the environment that because of its chemical composition or quantity prevents the functioning of natural processes and produces undesirable environmental and [..]

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Pollution

Generally, the presence of a substance in the environment that because of its chemical composition or quantity prevents the functioning of natural processes and produces undesirable environmental a [..]

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Pollution

The undesirable state of the natural environment being contaminated with harmful substances as a consequence of human activities.

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Pollution

is the residual discharges of emissions to the air or water following application of emission control devices.

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Pollution

The presence of contaminants or pollutant substances in the air (Air Pollutants) that interfere with Human Health or welfare, or produce other harmful environmental effects. The substances may include [..]

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Pollution

Adverse effect upon bodies of Water (Lakes; Rivers; seas; Groundwater etc.) caused by Chemical Water Pollutants.

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Pollution

The contamination of indoor air.

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Pollution

An intrusive amount of unwanted Noise.

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Pollution

Release of oil into the Environment usually due to Human Activity.

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Pollution

Contamination of the air by Tobacco smoke.

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Pollution

Contamination of bodies of Water (such as Lakes; Rivers; SEAS; and Groundwater.)

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Pollution

Any type of emission, seepage, or discharge that causes damage or injury to property or people. Most property insurance policies have either an exclusion or a limitation on pollution and spell out in detail what pollution is..

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Pollution

A cause of loss that is excluded by most property and liability insurance policies. Usually requires a special pollution liability insurance policy.

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Pollution

The contamination of air, water or soil by some form of matter to an undesirable level.

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Pollution

Anything that can reduce water quality, for example, sewage animal or bird faeces.

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Pollution

Introduction into water, air, and soil of microorganisms, chemicals, toxic substances, wastes, or wastewater in a concentration that makes the medium unfit for its next intended use. Also applies to s [..]

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Pollution

The impairment (reduction) of water quality by agricultural, domestic, or industrial wastes (including thermal and radioactive wastes) to a degree that the natural water quality is changed to hinder a [..]

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Pollution

Items and chemicals that endanger the quality of life and life itself. Some pollutants are toxic or poisonous. Others are dangerous because they stick to feathers (oil and tar) making it impossible [..]

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Pollution

The introduction of harmful substances or products into the environment.

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Pollution

The unwanted by-product of human activity. The presence of matter or energy whose nature, location or quantity produces undesired environmental effects.

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Pollution

undesireable change in the physical, chemical, or biological characteristics of the air, water, or land that can harmfully affect the health, survival, or activities of human or other living organisms [..]

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Pollution

Contamination of the environment as a result of human activities. The term pollution

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Pollution

A human or naturally caused change in physical, chemical, or biological conditions that result in an undesirable effect on the environment.

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Pollution

A human or naturally caused change in physical, chemical, or biological conditions that result in an undesirable effect on the environment. 

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Pollution

Any direct or indirect alteration of the physical, chemical, thermal, biological or radioactive properties of any part of the environment by discharging, emitting or depositing wastes or substances that adversely affect beneficial use, or that cause a condition that is hazardous or potentially hazardous to public health, safety or welfare or the co [..]

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Pollution

Generally, the presence of a substance in the environment that because of its chemical composition or quantity prevents the functioning of natural processes and produces undesirable environmental and [..]

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Pollution

An undesirable change in the physical, chemical, or biological characteristics of air, water, soil, or food that can adversely affect the health, survival, or activities of humans or other [..]

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Pollution

 is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light. Polluta [..]

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Pollution

An alteration in the character or quality of the environment, or any of its components, that renders it less suited for certain uses.

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Pollution

contaminants in the air, water, or soil that cause harm to human health or the environment.

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Pollution

Harmful effects on the environment as a by-product of tourism activity. Types include: air; noise; water; and aesthetic.

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Pollution

Pollution that is spatially diffuse and discharged from one or more unidentified sources.

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Pollution

Pollution discharged from a fixed, identifiable, location.

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Pollution

The destruction of water or air such that it is unusable due to toxicity or risk of illness.

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Pollution

undesireable change in the physical, chemical, or biological characteristics of the air, water, or land that can harmfully affect the health, survival, or activities of human or other living organisms. pond

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Pollution

Describes the inclusion of third party intellectual property in a …

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Pollution

The direct or indirect alternation of the physical, thermal, biological or radioactive properties of any part of the evironment in such a way as to create a hazard or potential hazard to health, safet [..]

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Pollution

Any substances in water, soil, or air that degrade the natural quality of the environment, offend the senses of sight, taste, or smell, or cause a health hazard. The usefulness of the natural resource [..]

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Pollution

According to Mary Douglas, aspects of the world unexplained by a society’s basic categories of understanding, thereby threatening the social order; contrasted with purity.

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Pollution

Pollution is the release of harmful substances into the environment.

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Pollution

A substance, often alien to the host environment which causes an undesirable change in the physical, chemical or biological characteristics of the natural environment.

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Pollution

the presence of minerals, chemicals or physical properties at levels that exceed the values deemed to define a boundary between “good or acceptable” and “poor or unacceptable” quality, which is a function of the specific pollutant.

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Pollution

Presence of substances that impairs or renders harm to life, health and the productivity of the environment, or is offensive to the senses.

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Pollution

Degradation of one or more elements or aspects of the environment by noxious industrial, chemical or biological substances as a result of human or mechanical failure or mismanagement of natural and en [..]

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Pollution

The exposure of organisms to chemicals or energy in quantities that exceed their tolerance, causing toxicity or other ecological damages. Compare with contamination.

Dictionary.university is a dictionary written by people like you and me.
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Add meaning

Pollution refers to the presence of a substance or substances in the environment that are harmful or toxic. The substances or pollutants may be harmful to human health, other animals, and plants. When something harmful enters the environment at a faster rate that it can be dispersed, there is pollution.

Pollutants may be natural or anthropogenic. If something is anthropogenic, it originates from human activity. Volcanic ash, for example, is a natural pollutant, while fumes from vehicles are the result of human activity.

Pollutants damage the land, water, and air. In other words, they damage our environment.

National Geographic has the following definition of the term:

“Pollution is the introduction of harmful materials into the environment. These harmful materials are called pollutants.”

Pollution causes global warming image

Global warming refers to the rise in the average temperatures of Earth’s oceans and atmosphere.

Etymology of pollution

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and how their meanings and usages have evolved.

The term emerged in the English language in the mid-fourteenth century. However, it did not mean the same then as it does today. In the fourteenth century, it meant “discharge of semen other and during sex.” In the late fourteenth century, it also meant “defilement, desecration.”

The word came from the Late Latin word Pollutionem (nominative pollutio), which meant “defilement.”

It was not until circa 1860 that pollution meant “contamination of the environment.” According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, it did not become a common term until about 1955.

Water pollution

Water pollution includes the contamination of groundwater aquifers, rivers, oceans, and lakes. Unsurprisingly, in the majority of cases, the contamination of water today is the result of human activity.

This type of pollution exists when we cannot get rid of contaminants in water bodies fast enough. In some cases, we can end up consuming those pollutants without being anywhere near the affected water bodies.

Water pollution image 1

A child in waist-high filthy water in Indonesia. Water pollution is the number one cause of death in many countries across the world. (Image: pelicanwater.com)

Contaminants, for example, can get into the food we eat. We refer to them as ‘food contaminants.’ Many food contaminants cause foodborne illnesses.

In many developing countries across the world, dirty and contaminated water is a major cause of death.

Experts say that the contamination of our waters is the second-most imperative environmental concern, after air pollution.

In economics, there is a term – ‘uneconomic growth‘ – which means GDP growth that causes more harm than good. Contaminated water is a major consequence of uneconomic growth. GDP stands for gross domestic product, i.e., all the goods and services that an economy produces in a specific period.

Air pollution

Some people use the term ‘atmospheric pollution.’ This type includes the release of particulates and chemicals into the atmosphere.

Particulates are microscopic liquid or solid matter that float in the air. The letters PM, when talking about air quality, stand for ‘particulate matter.’

Air pollution image 1

Researchers in Singapore reported that severe air pollution can undermine worker productivity.

Common gasses that we class as pollutants include sulfur dioxide, CFCs, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide. When hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides react to sunlight, smog and ozone are created.

According to the UK’s Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA), air pollution can cause both long-term and short-term effects on health. The following groups of people are very concerned about air pollution:

  • People with lung or heart conditions.
  • Caregivers (UK: carers), parents, and healthcare professionals who care for somebody whose health is sensitive to contaminated air.
  • The scientific community.
  • Members of the public who want to know more about contaminants in our atmosphere and why they exist. They may also want to find out what they can do to contribute to its reduction.

Weather can affect air quality

The British Lung Foundation says that the amount of air pollution can change depending on the season and weather. During still, summer weather, for example, it is harder for pollutants in the air to disperse. This is also the case when it is foggy in winter. In such cases, air quality deteriorates significantly.

Land pollution

This includes the deposition of liquid or solid waste material on land. It also includes their deposition underground. In both cases, they contaminate the soil and groundwater, damage our environment, and threaten public health.

Waste material 1

Land pollution leads to the loss of tens of billions of tons of topsoil every year. Topsoil is where most of Earth’s biological soil activity happens. (Image: Wikipedia)

There are three main types of waste materials that contaminate the land:

  • Municipal refuse, which we also call municipal solid waste (MSW). Trash from households and businesses, for example, belongs to this category.
  • Construction and demolition debris or waste. This category includes wood, concrete rubble, asphalt, and metal objects.
  • Hazardous waste. This type of waste includes chemicals from petroleum refineries, smelters, dry cleaners, car workshops, and sewage leaks. There are many other sources of hazardous waste.

Light pollution

We also call it photopollution. It includes the presence of light that humans have created in the night environment. In other words, artificial light.

Artificial light has helped accelerate economic growth and make us all more prosperous. However, too much or inappropriate night light can damage our health as well as the health of animals and plants. When that happens, we refer to it as light pollution.

Coastal light Image

Coastal light pollution is attracting some and discouraging other species of marine invertebrates, a study found. (Image: Southampton, Wikipedia)

Wikipedia says the following about photopollution:

“It is exacerbated by excessive, misdirected or obtrusive uses of light, but even carefully used light fundamentally alters natural conditions. As a major side-effect of urbanization, it is blamed for compromising health, disrupting ecosystems and spoiling aesthetic environments.”

Photopollution can be the cause of worker fatigue, decrease in sexual function, heightened anxiety. It can also make people have headaches more often.

The following quote comes from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine:

“Inappropriate or excessive use of artificial, outdoor light at night, referred to as “light pollution,” has emerged as a novel environmental factor linked to human health.”

“Research has shown that artificial nighttime lighting, whether indoor or outdoor, induces disruption of circadian rhythms, potentially leading to metabolic and chronic diseases, including cancer, diabetes, obesity and depression.”

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