Environmental Pollution - An Overview

Environmental pollution is the build-up and concentration of toxic levels of chemicals in the air, water, and land, which reduces the ability of the affected area to support life. Pollutants may be gaseous- ozone and carbon monoxide, for example; liquid-discharge from industrial plants and sewage systems; or solid-landfills and junkyards.

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 non point source pollution.


Air pollution has always accompanied civilizations. Pollution started from the 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." The forging of metals 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, but at that time the pollution was comparatively less and could be handled by nature.

There are actually SEVEN different kinds of environmental pollution. Most people can name air, water and land...do you know the other four? Or examples of what constitutes actual pollution in each category?

Listed below are each kind and examples to help you understand just how we can affect the environment and each other.

Air Pollution
According to the dictionary, air pollution is the contamination of air by smoke and harmful gases, mainly oxides of carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen.

Some examples of air pollution include:

• Exhaust fumes from vehicles
• The burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, oil or gas
• Harmful off-gasing from things such as paint, plastic production and so on
• Radiation spills or nuclear accidents

Air pollution is linked to asthma, allergies and other respiratory illnesses.

Land Pollution
Land pollution is the degradation of the Earth's surface caused by a misuse of resources and improper disposal of waste.

Some examples of land pollution include:

•  Litter found on the side of the road
•  Illegal dumping in natural habitats
•  Oil spills that happen inland
•  The use of pesticides and other farming chemicals
•  Damage and debris caused from unsustainable mining and logging practices
•  Radiation spills or nuclear accidents

Land pollution is responsible for damage done to natural habitat of animals, deforestation and damage done to natural resources, and the general ugly-ling up of our communities.

Light Pollution
Light pollution is the brightening of the night sky inhibiting the visibility of stars and planets by the use of improper lighting of communities.

Some examples of what causes light pollution:

•  Street lamps that shine light in all directions, instead of with a hood to point light downward toward the street.
•  Unnecessary lights, especially around the home

Light pollution uses more energy (by shining more light up instead of down), may affect human health and our sleep cycles and most importantly, corrupts our kids telescopes and their curiosity.

Noise Pollution
Noise pollution is any loud sounds that are either harmful or annoying to humans and animals.

Some examples of noise pollution:

•  Airplanes, helicopters and motor vehicles
•  Construction or demolition noise
•  Human activities such as sporting events or concerts

Noise pollution is disruptive to humans' stress levels, may be harmful to unborn babies, and drives animals away, causing nervousness and decreasing their ability to hear prey or predators.

Thermal Pollution
Thermal pollution is the increase of temperature caused by human activity.

• Warmer lake water from nearby manufacturing (using cool water to cool the plant and then pump it back into the lake).
• Included in thermal pollution should also be the increase in temperatures in areas with lots of concrete or vehicles, generally in cities.

These kinds of environmental pollution can cause aquatic life to suffer or die due to the increased temperature, can cause discomfort to communities dealing with higher temperatures and can even affect plant-life in and around the area.

Water Pollution
Water pollution is the contamination of any body of water (lakes, groundwater, oceans, etc).

Some examples of water pollution:

•   Raw sewage running into lake or streams
•   Industrial waste spills contaminating groundwater
•   Radiation spills or nuclear accidents
•   Illegal dumping of substances, or items in bodies of water
•   Biological contamination, such as bacteria growth

These kinds of environmental pollution are linked to health issues in humans, animals and plant-life (To be discussed in the subsequent post).

Visual Pollution
Visual pollution is what you would call anything unattractive or visually damaging to the nearby landscape. This tends to be a highly subjective topic, as we all find different things attractive and unattractive.

Some examples of visual pollution:

•  Skyscrapers might block the view of a mountain
•  Graffiti or carving on trees, rocks or other natural landscapes
•  Billboards, litter, abandoned homes and junkyards could also be considered among three kins of environmental pollution

Mostly visual kinds of environmental pollution are annoying, although some may say they are also depressing (such as when they can't see a view through a billboard).