Pollutant

A pollutant or novel entity is a substance or energy introduced into the environment that has undesired effect, or adversely affects the usefulness of a resource. These can be both naturally forming (i.e. minerals or extracted compounds like <a href="/facts/Extraction_of_petroleum/GyyC7lTo">oil</a>) or <a href="/facts/Anthropogenic_hazard/d7oHeBe7">anthropogenic</a> in origin (i.e. manufactured materials or <a href="/facts/By-product/qDosnqoD">byproducts</a>). Pollutants result in <a href="/facts/Pollution/JRagxumQ">environmental pollution</a> or become of public health concern when they reach a <a href="/facts/Pollutant_concentration/W4YBdo7p">concentration</a> high enough to have significant negative impacts. 
A pollutant may cause long- or short-term damage by changing the growth rate of plant or animal species, or by interfering with resources used by humans, human health or wellbeing, or property values. Some pollutants are <a href="/facts/Biodegradable/d1UW4dfR">biodegradable</a> and therefore will not persist in the <a href="/facts/Environment_(biophysical)/PNzMrGrz">environment</a> in a long term. However, the degradation products of some pollutants are themselves pollutants such as <a href="/facts/Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene/MWfW89XU">DDE</a> and <a href="/facts/Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane/mWvlH9xH">DDD</a> produced from the degradation of <a href="/facts/Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane/RfYXlCuF">DDT</a>.
<a href="/facts/Pollution/JRagxumQ">Pollution</a> has widespread negative impact on the environment. When analyzed from a <a href="/facts/Planetary_boundaries/th3MzcsM">planetary boundaries</a> perspective, human society has released novel entities that well exceed safe levels.

Pollutant open-in-new

Pollutant