For other uses, see Pollution (disambiguation).

"Environmental pollution" redirects here. For the journal, see Environmental Pollution (journal).

Litter on the coast of Guyana

Part of a series on

Pollution

Air pollution from a factory

show

Air

show

Biological

show

Digital

show

Electromagnetic
 show

Natural

show

Noise

show

Radiation

show

Soil

show

Solid waste

show

Space

show

Thermal

show

Visual

show

War

show
 Water

show

Misc

 Environment portal
 Ecology portal

 v
 t
 e

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 consequences on human and environmental health, having systematic
impact on social and economic systems. In 2019, pollution killed nine million people worldwide
(one in six deaths), a number unchanged since 2015. [2][3][4] Air pollution accounted for 3⁄4 of these
earlier deaths.[5][6] A 2022 literature review found that levels of anthropogenic chemical pollution
have exceeded planetary boundaries and now threaten entire ecosystems around the world. [7]
[8]
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. [9] This outsized
impact is a core reason for the formation of the environmental justice movement,[10][11] 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.[12]

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."[13] 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."[14]

Smog in the center of Moscow, Russia in August 2010

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,
[15]
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). [16][17][18]
Pollutants
 The Lachine Canal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Blue drain and yellow fish symbol used by the UK

Environment Agency to raise awareness of the ecological impacts of contaminating surface
drainage
This section is an excerpt from Pollutant.[edit]

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[19] 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). 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 resources used by humans, human health or wellbeing, 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. [19] When analyzed from
a planetary boundaries perspective, human society has released novel entities that well exceed
safe levels.[19]

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. [20] Volcanic emissions also include fine and ultrafine particles which
may contain toxic chemicals and substances such as arsenic, lead, and mercury.[21]
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. [22]

Human generation
Motor vehicle emissions are one of the leading causes of air pollution.[23][24][25] China, United
States, Russia, India[26] Mexico, and Japan are the world leaders in air pollution emissions.
Principal stationary pollution sources include chemical plants, coal-fired power plants, oil
refineries,[27] 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.[28]
About 400 million metric tons of hazardous wastes are generated each year.[29] The United States
alone produces about 250 million metric tons.[30] Americans constitute less than 5% of the world's
population, but produce roughly 25% of the world's CO2,[31] and generate approximately 30%
of world's waste.[32][33] In 2007, China overtook the United States as the world's biggest producer of
CO2,[34] while still far behind based on per capita pollution (ranked 78th among the world's
nations).[35]

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.[36] 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.[37]
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. [38]
The motor vehicle is the most common cause of noise pollution, accounting for over 90% of all
undesirable noise globally.
Plastic pollution is 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 do not biodegrade in any meaningful sense, all that plastic
waste could exist for hundreds or even thousands of years. If plastic production is not
circumscribed, plastic pollution will be disastrous and will eventually outweigh fish in oceans. [39]

Greenhouse gas emissions

Main article: Greenhouse gas emissions

Historical and projected CO emissions by

2

country (as of 2005).

Source: Energy Information Administration. [40][41]

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). [42]

Effects
Human health
Further information: Soil pollution § Health effects, Toxic hotspots, List of pollution-related
diseases, and Air pollution § Health effects

Overview of main health effects on

humans from some common types of pollution [43][44][45]

Pollution affects 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, soil
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.[46] 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." [4]
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 alone because of air pollution.[47] China's high smog levels can damage the human body
and cause various diseases.[48] In 2019, air pollution caused 1.67 million deaths in India (17.8% of
total deaths nationally).[49] Studies have estimated that the number of people killed annually in the
United States could be over 50,000.[50] 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. [51]
In 2019, water pollution caused 1.4 million premature deaths. [52] Contamination of drinking
water by untreated sewage in developing countries is an issue, for example, over 732 million
Indians (56% of the population) and over 92 million Ethiopians (92.9% of the population) do not
have access to basic sanitation.[53] In 2013 over 10 million people in India fell ill with waterborne
illnesses in 2013, and 1,535 people died, most of them children. [54] As of 2007, nearly 500 million
Chinese lack access to safe drinking water.[55]
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 significantly 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, intellectual disabilities and behavioural problems. [56] Chemical
and radioactive substances can cause cancer and 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. [57] A 2019 paper linked
pollution to adverse school outcomes for children.[58]A number of studies show that pollution has
an adverse effect on the productivity of both indoor and outdoor workers. [59][60][61][62]

Environment

Great Pacific garbage patch

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. [7][8]

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.

Global carbon dioxide emissions by jurisdiction (as of 2015)

 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

This section is an excerpt from Regulation and monitoring of pollution.[edit]
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.[63]
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

A litter trap catches floating waste in the Yarra River, east-

central Victoria, Australia. Air pollution control system,

known as a thermal oxidizer, decomposes hazard gases from industrial air streams at a

factory in the United States. A dust

collector in Pristina, Kosovo
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.[64] 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". [6]

Practices
 Recycling
 Reusing
 Waste minimisation
 Mitigating
 Pollution prevention
 Compost
Devices
 Air pollution control
o Thermal oxidizer
 Dust collection systems
o Baghouses
o Cyclones
o Electrostatic precipitators
 Scrubbers
o Baffle spray scrubber
o Cyclonic spray scrubber
o Ejector venturi scrubber
o Mechanically aided scrubber
o Spray tower
o Wet scrubber
 Sewage treatment
o Sedimentation (Primary treatment)
o Activated sludge biotreaters (Secondary treatment; also used for industrial wastewater)
o Aerated lagoons
o Constructed wetlands (also used for urban runoff)
 Industrial wastewater treatment
o API oil-water separators[27][65]
o Biofilters
o Dissolved air flotation (DAF)
o Powdered activated carbon treatment
o Ultrafiltration
 Vapor recovery systems
 Phytoremediation

Cost
Pollution has a cost.[66][67][68] 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."[69] 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.[70] 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.[69]
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. [71] In 2005 pollution abatement capital expenditures and
operating costs in the US amounted to nearly $27 billion. [72]

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: [73]

 Lead–acid battery recycling

 Mining and extractive metallurgy
 Lead smelting
 Tanning
 Artisanal mining
 Landfills
 Industrial parks
 Chemical industry
 Manufacturing
 Dyeing