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pollution
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The sun appears dim and hazy through thick air pollution over the Huangpu River in Shanghai, with city buildings and a cargo ship visible below. Infographic illustrating sources and effects of air, land, and water pollution, with labeled arrows showing pollutants from industry, vehicles, and agriculture entering the environment, plus sections on plastic, noise, light, and thermal pollution with causes and issues. Exxon Valdez oil spill cleanup
How artificial lighting affects wildlife
Major types of pollution explained
Reducing indoor air pollution with houseplants
Upcycling plastic bags
Floating plastic bags and other rubbish pollute the surface of the ocean, with debris suspended in the water above the sea floor. Plastic bags and assorted garbage cover a beach, with goats and birds among the trash and a boat visible on the water in the background. A lake heavily polluted with floating plastic bottles, containers, and other garbage, with plants visible along the water's edge.
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Plastic bag garbage on beach. (pollution; land fill; trash; water pollution; waste)
Pollution
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The sun appears dim and hazy through thick air pollution over the Huangpu River in Shanghai, with city buildings and a cargo ship visible below.
Air pollution Thick smog in Shanghai.

pollution

environment
Also known as: environmental pollution
Written by
Jerry A. Nathanson
Professor of Engineering, Union County College, Cranford, New Jersey. Author of Basic Environmental Technology: Water Supply, Waste Disposal, and Pollution Control.
Jerry A. Nathanson
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
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•History

pollution, the addition of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or any form of energy (such as heat, sound, or radioactivity) to the environment at a rate faster than it can be dispersed, diluted, decomposed, recycled, or stored in some harmless form. The major kinds of pollution, usually classified by environment, are air pollution, water pollution, and land pollution. Modern society is also concerned about specific types of pollutants, such as noise pollution, light pollution,...

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