What is pollution?

Pollution is the introduction of harmful substances into the environment. These harmful substances are called pollutants. Some pollutants are natural. For instance, when a volcano erupts, the ash from the eruption is a pollutant. It can damage or kill plants, contaminate water and cause breathing problems. However, much of the pollution in our environment is caused by people.

Types of Pollution

There are three major types of pollution. They are:

Air pollution: This is the introduction of harmful substances into the air. The photo below shows factories releasing smoke into the air. This is one example of air pollution.

Water pollution: This is the introduction of harmful substances into bodies of water such as rivers, lakes or the sea. Garbage has been dumped in the lake in the photo below. This is one example of water pollution.

Land pollution: This includes the introduction of harmful substances onto the land or into the soil. Garbage has been dumped in the area in the photo below. This is one example of land pollution.

In this course we will focus on air pollution and water pollution.