what is polution

Pollution is the introduction of harmful materials or energy into the environment at a rate faster than it can be dispersed, diluted, decomposed, recycled, or stored in a harmless form. These harmful materials, known as pollutants, can be natural, such as volcanic ash, or created by human activity, such as trash or runoff produced by factories. Pollution can damage the quality of air, water, and land. The major kinds of pollution are usually classified by environment, including air pollution, water pollution, and land pollution. Additionally, specific types of pollutants, such as noise pollution, light pollution, and plastic pollution, are also of concern. For example, air pollution can come from the exhaust that cars and trucks produce when burning gasoline for fuel, chemicals from factories, dust, mold, and smog. Water pollution occurs when harmful substances, often chemicals or microorganisms, contaminate bodies of water such as streams, rivers, lakes, oceans, and aquifers. Pollution can have detrimental effects on ecosystems, human health, and the environment as a whole.