لخّصلي

Definitions of pollution:
• Pollution is anything that alters our environment or health, usually in the form of substances but also in the form of waves.
• Pollution is the degradation or alteration of the environment, generally linked to human activity through the direct or indirect release of chemical, physical, or biological substances that are potentially toxic to living organisms or disrupt the natural functioning of ecosystems. In addition to its effects on human and animal health, it can lead to the migration or extinction of certain species unable to adapt to changes in their natural environment.
• Pollution is generally a byproduct of human activity that can affect the atmosphere, soil, or water. It can impact human health, drinking water, bathing water, agricultural production, animal or plant species, and the beauty of landscapes, etc.
Different forms of pollution: The various forms of pollution include:
• Air pollution: Manifested by the presence of harmful or non-harmful particles or gases in the air, leading to some inconvenience depending on their concentration. Air pollution is defined as:
"The introduction by humans, directly or indirectly, into the atmosphere and enclosed spaces, of substances with harmful consequences endangering human health, harming biological resources and ecosystems, influencing climate change, deteriorating material goods, and causing olfactory nuisances."
Examples:
Carbon monoxide, sulfur, and nitrogen oxides,
Dust,
Radioactive particles resulting from emissions from heating installations, combustion engines, industrial facilities, incinerators, etc.
• Biological pollution: This pollution results from the introduction of exogenous species (originating from another environment, ecosystem, or continent) or genetically modified organisms into a given environment, causing changes in fauna and flora.
Examples:
Invasive species (Florida turtles, killer bees, fire ants, Caulerpa taxifolia algae),
Escaped domestic species,
Proliferation of algae in water bodies (eutrophication).
• Chemical pollution: Caused by the presence of chemicals in the environment that are normally absent or present in very small quantities.
• Chronic pollution: A permanent pollution resulting from repeated or continuous emissions of pollutants. It can also be linked to the presence of highly persistent pollutants (persisting after the source disappears).
Examples: radioactive waste.
• Diffuse pollution: Caused by the spread of multiple pollutants over time and space. Less visible, it differs from accidental pollution. Identifying polluters and holding them accountable is challenging due to the multiplicity and discretion of contamination sources.
Examples: nitrates, pesticides.
• Water pollution: Manifested by the presence of toxic elements in water (oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, groundwater, etc.) causing the destruction of fauna and flora. It can make water unfit for consumption or bathing.
Examples:
Industrial and urban effluents (wastewater).
Agricultural effluents: pesticides, fertilizers (nitrates, pesticides).
• Electromagnetic pollution: Corresponds to the excessive or chronic exposure of living beings or devices to electromagnetic fields suspected of affecting their health, reproduction, or functioning. The risk depends on the power of electromagnetic fields, emitted frequencies, and the duration of exposure.
• Genetic pollution: refers to the introduction, caused by human activity, of foreign or modified genes into a wild species. It also applies to the crossing of a wild species with exotic or domesticated lineages.
• Industrial pollution: Industrial pollution is the pollution of the environment by industry, affecting the ecosystem's functioning to varying degrees:
Examples:
Gas emissions.
Chemical and organic products.
Radioactivity.
Artificial light, etc.
• Light pollution: Due to excessive light production at night in open areas, light pollution can degrade the perception of the environment and affect biological rhythms, nocturnal activities, and animal migrations. It can cause sleep disturbances in humans. The main source of light pollution is urban public lighting.
• Organic pollution: Chemical pollution caused by organic (carbon) pollutants, which are fermentable materials.
Examples:
Sewage and slurry.
Sewage sludge.
Organochlorines (DDT) and polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs).
• Radioactive pollution: is contamination generated by radioactivity. it corresponds to the direct or indirect introduction, by human activity, of radioactive substances into the environment, capable of contributing to or causing a danger to human health, damage to biological resources, ecosystems, or material goods, hindrance to a legitimate use of the environment. It can be caused by:
Thermonuclear bomb explosions (military tests),
Wreckage of nuclear submarines,
Serious accidents in nuclear power plants (Chernobyl, Fukushima, etc.),
Accidental releases of radioactive waste by the nuclear industry.
• Soil pollution: Caused by the infiltration of polluted water, often of industrial or agricultural origin: through the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, etc.
• Noise pollution: Noise pollution refers to sound nuisances caused by human activities when they exceed harmful thresholds for hearing acuity, health, or ecosystem balance.
Examples:
Quarry.
Transportation (plane, train, automobile...), wind turbines.
• Telluric pollution: The telluric pollution of seas and oceans is pollution of terrestrial origin. It is brought by rivers and pipelines that discharge into the sea.
• Thermal pollution: The thermal pollution of water is the temperature increase caused by the discharge of cooling water, especially from thermal and nuclear power plants. It can cause significant damage to river fauna. Climate warming caused by greenhouse gases is another form of thermal pollution affecting the entire Earth.
• Visual pollution: Visual pollution refers to visual degradation that affects landscapes and the living environment.
Examples:
Plastic bags carried by the wind.
Signs and billboards.