What is the Difference Between Pollutant and Contaminant?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The main difference between a pollutant and a contaminant lies in their definitions and the impact they have on the environment and living organisms.
- Contaminant: A contaminant is a substance that is not present naturally in the environment but is introduced by human activity. It may or may not be harmful to living organisms. Contaminants can be found in various forms, such as soil, plants, air, and water, as well as in waste excreted by humans.
- Pollutant: A pollutant is a component or ingredient of a product that is harmful to living organisms due to its concentration. Pollutants can be present naturally in the environment or produced by human activities, such as excessive burning of fossil fuels like coal. Not all contaminants are pollutants, but all pollutants are contaminants.
In essence, contaminants are unwanted substances introduced by human activity, while pollutants are contaminants that result in or can result in adverse biological effects to resident communities.
On this pageWhat is the Difference Between Pollutant and Contaminant? Comparative Table: Pollutant vs Contaminant
Comparative Table: Pollutant vs Contaminant
Here is a table comparing the differences between a pollutant and a contaminant:
Property | Pollutant | Contaminant |
---|---|---|
Definition | A harmful or poisonous substance that pollutes something. | A foreign substance or impurity that contaminates something. |
Adverse Effects | Always creates harmful effects. | Does not always create harmful effects. |
Origin | Can be either foreign substances or a component of the original substance that has become harmful. | Can be the result of human activity or naturally occurring. |
Examples | - Carbon Monoxide (CO). - Sulfur Dioxide (SO2). | - Microbial contamination. - Chemical contamination. - Energy contamination (including noise and radiation). |
In summary, the main difference between a pollutant and a contaminant is that a pollutant is always a harmful substance, whereas a contaminant is not necessarily harmful. All pollutants are contaminants, but not all contaminants are pollutants.
Read more:
- Adulteration vs Contamination
- Primary vs Secondary Pollutants
- Point Source vs Nonpoint Source Pollution
- Solvent vs Solute
- Insecticides vs Pesticides
- Solution vs Solvent
- Pest vs Insect
- Poison vs Toxin
- Radioactive Contamination vs Irradiation
- Sewer vs Sewage
- Thermal Pollution vs Global Warming
- Fungicides vs Pesticides
- Allergen vs Antigen
- Allergens vs Allergies
- Biodegradation vs Bioremediation
- Contagious Disease vs Infectious Disease
- Pollen vs Spore
- Reactant vs Reagent
- Decomposer vs Detritivore