Types of environmental pollutants

We speak of environmental pollution when harmful substances are present in the environment . These substances are what we call environmental pollutants and can be of physical, chemical or biological origin or a combination of them. Pollution can occur in different forms, in different places and with different concentrations. Furthermore, it is no secret that environmental pollution is a danger to living beings, including human beings, their health and well-being.

To learn more about it, you can consult this other article on What is environmental pollution and its types .

There are different types of pollutants in the air, water and the environment in general. Thus, there are many environmental pollutants that are present in our environment and can be classified into two types depending on their origin: primary and secondary.

Types of primary environmental pollutants

Primary pollutants are those that are emitted directly to the natural environment, some examples are:

• CO carbon monoxide.
• SOx or sulfur oxides.
• NOx or nitrogen oxides.
• CFCs or chlorofluorocarbons .
• Radioactive waste.

There are numerous sources of emission of primary environmental pollutants :

• Mass deforestation.
• Burning fossil fuels, such as oil, coal, or natural gas.
• Mining extractions.
• Excessive use of cars that use gasoline or diesel.

Types of secondary environmental pollutants

These are normally formed from the primary pollutants by physical-chemical processes that occur in the environment, among them are:

• H2SO4 or sulfuric acid.
• O3 to ozone.
• CH4 or methane.
• Biological contamination.

In addition to classifying pollutants depending on their origin, we can do so by looking at their structure, we find that it can be solid, liquid and gaseous. Thus, other types of environmental pollutants are :

• Solid pollutants: an example of solid pollutants could be the garbage that we generate daily in our homes.
• Liquid pollutants: when we talk about liquid pollutants, they can be discharged by industries or gray or waste water from urbanized centers.
• Gaseous pollutants: when we talk about pollutants that are gas, they can be those that come from vehicle traffic, industrial emissions, deforestation, etc.

A pollutant is more or less dangerous depending on its origin, its concentration and its structure, but it also depends on how long it is in the natural environment. So, according to this classification, we find environmental pollutants with different degradability , that is, they last longer or less in the environment and become more or less harmful.

• Non-degradable pollutants: these do not break down by natural processes. To treat these polluting waste, it is best to recycle or reuse them, avoiding that they end up being disposed of in the environment.
• Contaminants d e slow or persistent degradation: are substances that remain long in the environment. DDT or most plastic are examples. In the case of plastic, it takes dozens of years to degrade, although it does not do so completely since microplastics remain a great threat to living beings when they enter the food chain. These substances are also bioaccumulative and are widely dispersed throughout the environment through wind, rivers and ocean currents.
• Degradable or non-persistent pollutants: these end up being totally or partially decomposed by natural physical, chemical or biological processes.
• Biodegradable pollutants: these are those that, thanks to the decomposition process used by living organisms, such as bacteria and other microorganisms, transform complex matter into simpler matter.

Highlight a group of pollutants known as emerging or new pollutants , which refer to personal care and hygiene products (they contain parabens, phthalates …), hormones ( endocrine disruptors ), drugs, drugs … Many of them even ago little were difficult to detect, but thanks to technological advances it is possible to detect the presence of these substances.

In this other article you can find more specific information on this topic Emerging pollutants: definition, examples and how they affect us .

Environmental pollutants end up in the natural environment interacting with it in a negative way. Therefore, taking into account the contaminated areas, we will talk about different types of contamination .

• Water pollution: there is high water pollution from the dumping of industrial waste , another source of pollution is pesticides used in crop fields that leak into groundwater, organic waste, pathogens, radioactive substances, inorganic waste … Learn more about this list of harmful agents in this link to an article on What are water pollutants .
• Atmospheric pollution: the causes that cause air or atmospheric pollution are volcanic eruptions, the use of machinery and chemicals in mining extractions, the use of pesticide products, deforestation, etc … The presence of these substances, materials or forms of energy represent a Danger or harm to people’s health, as well as being a danger to the environment. We recommend you consult this other article on What is an air pollutant .
• Soil Pollution: The most common pollutants found in soil are heavy metals, persistent and emerging organic pollutants. The biggest problem with the soil is unsustainable agricultural practices, which use industrial pesticides, which are leaving the soil without organic matter, in addition to being contaminated by the chemicals that are used. Find out more about it with this post on What are soil pollutants .

Apart from these, which are the main types of contamination, there are some more:

• Radioactive contamination.
• Noise pollution.
• Light pollution.
• Visual contamination.
• Electromagnetic pollution.
• Thermal pollution.
• Food contamination.

We are experiencing a climate crisis in which the planet’s temperature is progressively increasing. This phenomenon, called global warming, is a consequence of the emission of environmental pollutants and causes accelerated climate change. Environmental pollution is endangering the environment, as well as living things. These are some of the consequences of environmental pollution that are already suffered:

• Increase in respiratory and cardiovascular diseases due to poor air quality (polluted air) in cities.
• Toxicological impact.
• Presence of contaminants in food.
• Presence of microplastics in food and water that end up in the food chain.
• Loss of natural resources.
• Destruction of ecosystems.
• Extinction of species and the consequent loss of biodiversity.

Now that you know better the types of environmental pollutants that exist, as well as the types of pollution that these agents cause and their consequences, you may want to know some ideas on How to avoid environmental pollution .

If you want to read more articles similar to Types of environmental pollutants , we recommend that you enter our Pollution category .