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A practical definition of water pollution is: "Water pollution is the addition of substances or energy forms that directly or indirectly alter the nature of the water body in such a manner that negatively affects its legitimate uses." [1]: 6 Water is typically referred to as polluted when it is impaired by anthropogenic contaminants.
An example is zinc oxide, a common paint pigment, which is extremely toxic to aquatic life. [citation needed] Toxicity or other hazards do not imply an environmental hazard, because elimination by sunlight , water or organisms (biological elimination) neutralizes many reactive or poisonous substances. Persistence towards these elimination ...
Siltation of a waterway. Siltation is water pollution caused by particulate terrestrial clastic material, with a particle size dominated by silt or clay.It refers both to the increased concentration of suspended sediments and to the increased accumulation (temporary or permanent) of fine sediments on bottoms where they are undesirable.
Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources such as quality of air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems; habitat destruction; the extinction of wildlife; and pollution. It is defined as any change or disturbance to the environment perceived to be deleterious or undesirable.
Water pollution (or aquatic pollution) is the contamination of water bodies, with a negative impact on their uses. [152]: 6 It is usually a result of human activities. Water bodies include lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers, reservoirs and groundwater. Water pollution results when contaminants mix with these water bodies. Contaminants can come ...
Water pollution may affect either surface water or groundwater. This form of pollution can lead to many problems. One is the degradation of aquatic ecosystems. Another is spreading water-borne diseases when people use polluted water for drinking or irrigation. [84]
Marine pollution made further international headlines after the 1967 crash of the oil tanker Torrey Canyon, and after the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill off the coast of California. [citation needed] Marine pollution was a major area of discussion during the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, held in Stockholm.
Groundwater pollution (also called groundwater contamination) occurs when pollutants are released to the ground and make their way into groundwater.This type of water pollution can also occur naturally due to the presence of a minor and unwanted constituent, contaminant, or impurity in the groundwater, in which case it is more likely referred to as contamination rather than pollution.