Pollution

What is pollution?

 

Environmental contamination or pollution is the introduction of substances or other physical elements into an environment that make it unsafe or unfit for use. The environment can be an ecosystem, a physical medium or a living being. The pollutant can be a chemical substance or energy.

Types of pollution 

1. Atmospheric pollution

Also known as pollution, it is one of the most famous types of environmental contamination. It is caused by the emission of chemicals into the atmosphere that directly affect air quality. The best known is carbon monoxide. But there are others such as sulfur dioxide, CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) and nitrogen oxides.

2. Water pollution

Affects rivers, groundwater sources, lakes and the sea when contaminating residues are released. This type of environmental contamination directly affects animal and plant species, as well as human beings, as it converts drinking water into a resource that is unfit for consumption.

 

3. Soil contamination

Once again, chemicals commonly used in intensive agriculture are the cause of this type of contamination. But they are not the only ones. Batteries (from cell phones for example), batteries or landfills also release harmful substances that seep into the soil. Plants, trees and crops are the main victims of this type of pollution.

4. Light pollution

This occurs especially in cities at night and refers to the excessive artificial lighting emitted by the population. It causes diseases such as those related to vision, sleep disturbances or migraines. It also affects nocturnal ecosystems as it causes animals and insects orientation problems and alterations in their biological cycles. 

 

5. Visual pollution

It is everything that visually alters the natural landscape. It refers to all non-natural elements that send us visual stimuli. They can be billboards, electric towers or open-pit mines. Our brain has a certain capacity to absorb data. The excess of shapes, lights, colors and information makes it unable to process all this data properly.

6. Thermal pollution 

Thermal pollution occurs when a process alters the temperature of the medium in an undesirable or detrimental way. An artificial change in temperature can have negative effects on some living beings in a specific habitat because it changes the natural conditions of the environment in which they live.