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Pollution is the release of chemical, physical, biological or
radioactive contaminants to the
environment. Principal forms of pollution include:
-
air pollution, the release of chemicals and particulates into the
atmosphere. Common examples include
carbon monoxide,
sulfur dioxide,
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), and
nitrogen oxides produced by
industry
and motor vehicles.
Ozone and
smog are
created as nitrogen oxides and
hydrocarbons react to sunlight.
-
water pollution affects
oceans and inland bodies of water. Examples include organic and
inorganic chemicals,
heavy metals, petrochemicals, chloroform, and
bacteria.
Water pollution may also occur in the form of
thermal pollution and the
depletion of dissolved oxygen.
-
soil contamination often occurs when chemicals are released by spill or
underground storage tank leakage. Contaminants include
hydrocarbons,
heavy
metals, MTBE,
herbicides,
pesticides and
chlorinated hydrocarbons. Often occurs with water pollution, thanks to
surface runoff and
groundwater.
-
radioactive contamination, added in the wake of 20th-century discoveries
in atomic physics. (See
alpha emitters and
actinides in the environment.)
-
noise pollution, which encompasses
roadway noise,
aircraft noise,
industrial noise as well as high-intensity
sonar.
-
light pollution, includes light trespass,
over-illumination and
astronomical interference.
-
visual pollution, which can refer to the presence of overhead
power
lines, highway
billboards, scarred
landforms
(as from
strip mining), open storage of junk or municipal
solid waste.
