Pollutant: meaning, definitions and examples
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pollutant
[ pəˈluː.tənt ]
air quality
A substance that pollutes the air, water, or soil, especially one produced by human activities.
Synonyms
Examples of usage
- Air pollutants such as carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide can have harmful effects on human health.
- The factory was fined for releasing pollutants into the river.
- Pollutants from cars contribute to smog in urban areas.
- Efforts to reduce pollutants in the environment are crucial for sustainability.
- Regulations have been put in place to limit the amount of pollutants released into the atmosphere.
Translations
Translations of the word "pollutant" in other languages:
🇵🇹 poluente
🇮🇳 प्रदूषक
🇩🇪 Schadstoff
🇮🇩 polutan
🇺🇦 забруднювач
🇵🇱 zanieczyszczenie
🇯🇵 汚染物質
🇫🇷 polluant
🇪🇸 contaminante
🇹🇷 kirletici
🇰🇷 오염 물질
🇸🇦 ملوث
🇨🇿 znečišťující látka
🇸🇰 znečisťujúca látka
🇨🇳 污染物
🇸🇮 onesnaževalec
🇮🇸 mengandi efni
🇰🇿 ластаушы
🇬🇪 დამაბინძურებელი
🇦🇿 çirkləndirici
🇲🇽 contaminante
Word origin
The term 'pollutant' originated in the mid-20th century, derived from the verb 'pollute'. As industrialization and human activities began to have a significant impact on the environment, the need for a term to describe harmful substances that contaminate the air, water, and soil became apparent. The concept of pollutants and their effects on ecosystems and human health has since become a central focus of environmental science and policy.
See also: pollute, polluted, polluter, polluting, pollution.