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Chapter 17: Problem 6

Define pollution, pollutant, and nonbiodegradable.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Pollution is the introduction of harmful materials into the environment, usually due to human activities. A pollutant is any substance or energy that disrupts the natural state of the environment or has undesired effects on it. Nonbiodegradable materials are substances that cannot be broken down by natural organisms and hence, remain in the environment for a long duration.

Step by step solution

01

Define Pollution

Pollution refers to the introduction of harmful materials, also known as pollutants, into the environment. These harmful materials are often produced by human activity, negatively impacting the natural world and its organisms.
02

Define Pollutant

A pollutant is a substance or energy introduced into the environment that has undesired effects, or adversely affects the usefulness of a resource. They could be naturally occurring contaminants or artificial substances.
03

Define Nonbiodegradable

Nonbiodegradable refers to substances that cannot be broken down or decomposed by natural organisms, and therefore remain in the environment for a very long time. Common examples include some types of plastic, glass, and metals.

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