In order to know the meaning of the term that concerns us now, we must proceed to discover the etymological origin of the two words that give it its shape:
-Contamination derives from the Latin “contaminatio” which, in turn, comes from the verb “contaminare”. It is the result of the sum of the following components: the prefix “with”, which is synonymous with “together”; the root “-tag-”, which means “to touch”; and the instrumental component “-men”.
-Ambiental also comes from Latin, in its case “environmentalis”. This word is formed from the union of the prefix “amb-“, which is synonymous with “on both sides”; the verb “ire”, which means “to go”; and the suffix “-al”, which is used to indicate “relative to”.
The contamination is a disturbance that adversely affects the status or condition of a medium or component. Environmental, on the other hand, is what is linked to the environment : a set of circumstances or the atmosphere that surrounds something.
It is known as environmental pollution, therefore, the consequence of a harmful change in the characteristics of the environment. Pollutants make the environment harmful or dangerous for living beings.
The human being produces environmental pollution through multiple actions. The use of pesticides in agriculture, the use of cars that use fossil fuels or the dumping of chemicals in rivers are just some of the behaviors that cause environmental pollution.
It is important to establish that there are various types of environmental pollution, among which the following stand out:
-Air pollution, which is, as its name suggests, what damages the air we breathe.
-Water
pollution, be it from lakes, rivers, seas, oceans… -Noise pollution, which is what occurs as a result of excessive noise. It can be caused by cars, loud music, crowds of people…
-Soil contamination, which affects the land due to, among other things, solid waste and residues, toxic products…
Pollution, in turn, gives rise to various phenomena. One of the best known is the greenhouse effect, linked to a weakening of the ozone layer produced by the use of certain gases.
All people, throughout their lives, contribute in some way to environmental pollution. Subjects with greater awareness of these problems, however, try to reduce their ecological footprint. But any individual who drives a car, uses an electrical device, throws a piece of paper in the street or leaves a plastic bottle on the beach is making a contribution to environmental pollution.
To prevent the level of contamination from ending up seriously affecting life or even preventing subsistence, it is essential to try to minimize the ecological footprint and for governments to decree control measures.
Among the most important measures against environmental pollution are the awareness of society about how necessary it is to take care of the natural environment; do not throw garbage out of the indicated containers, establish measures to restrict certain polluting vehicles in cities, promote means of public transport…
