Category:Pollution

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollution

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.

Pollutants, the components of pollution, can be either foreign substances/energies or naturally occurring contaminants. Pollution is often classed as point source or nonpoint source pollution.

Contents [hide] 1 Ancient cultures 2 Urban pollution 3 Forms of pollution -- 4 Pollutants 5 Cost of pollution 6 Sources and causes 7 Effects 7.1 Human health 7.2 Environment 7.3 Environmental health information 8 Regulation and monitoring 9 Pollution control 9.1 Practices 9.2 Pollution control devices 10 Perspectives 11 Greenhouse gases and global warming 12 Most polluted places in the developing world 13 See also 14 References 15 External links

Forms of pollution

The major forms of pollution are listed below along with the particular contaminant 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.

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 in the environment that adversely affects wildlife, wildlife habitat, or humans.

Soil pollution: Soil contamination occurs when chemicals are released by spill or underground leakage. Among the significant soil contaminants are hydrocarbons, heavy metals, MTBE, herbicides, pesticides and chlorinated hydrocarbons.

Radioactive pollution:: 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: 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, by the discharge of wastewater from commercial and industrial waste (intentionally or through spills) into surface waters; discharges of untreated domestic sewage, and chemical contaminants, such as chlorine, from treated sewage; release of waste and contaminants into surface runoff flowing to surface waters (including urban runoff and agricultural runoff, which may contain chemical fertilizers and pesticides); waste disposal and leaching into groundwater; eutrophication and 'littering', which has produced worldwide ocean debris .