Pollutant

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ENV-021415",
  "term": "Pollutant",
  "field": "Environment",
  "definition": "1. Dredged spoil, solid waste, incinerator residue, sewage, garbage, sewage sludge, munitions, chemical wastes, biological materials, radioactive materials, heat, wrecked or discarded equipment, rock, sand, cellar dirt and industrial, municipal, and agricultural waste discharged into water. (CWA Section 502(6)).\n\n2. Generally, any substance introduced into the environment that adversely affects the usefulness of a resource or the health of humans, animals, or ecosystems.\n\n3. Any introduced gas, liquid or solid that makes a resource unfit for a specific purpose.\n\n4. Dredged spoil, solid waste, incinerator residue, filter backwash, sewage, garbage, sewage sludge, munitions, chemical wastes, biological materials, radioactive materials (except those regulated under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (42 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.)), heat, wrecked or discarded equipment, rock, sand, cellar dirt, and industrial, municipal, and agricultural waste discharged into water.\n\n5. Generally, any substance introduced into the environment that adversely affects the usefulness of a resource.\n\n6. As defined in Clean Water Act Sec. 502(6), a pollutant means dredged spoil, solid waste, incinerator residue, sewage, garbage, sewage sludge, munitions, chemical wastes, biological materials, radioactive materials, heat, wrecked or discarded equipment, rock, sand, cellar dirt, and industrial, municipal, and agricultural waste discharged into water.\n\n7. A contaminant in a concentration or amount that adversely alters the physical, chemical, or biological properties of the environment. The term includes pathogens, toxic metals, carcinogens, oxygen-demanding materials, and all other harmful substances. With reference to nonpoint sources, the term is sometimes used to apply to contaminants released in low concentrations from many activities that collectively degrade water quality. As defined in the federal Clean Water Act, pollutant means dredged spoil; solid waste; incinerator residue; sewage; garbage; sewage sludge; munitions; chemical wastes; biological materials; radioactive materials; heat; wrecked or discarded equipment; rock; sand; cellar dirt; and industrial, municipal, and agricultural waste discharged into water.\n\n8. An emitted substance that is regulated or monitored for its potential to cause harm to the health of individuals or to the environment.\n\n9. A chemical or biological substance in a form that can be incorporated into, onto, or be ingested by aquatic organisms, consumers of aquatic organisms, or users of the aquatic environment.\n\n10. Any substance introduced into the environment that adversely affects a resource.\n\n11. A compound in the air that has an impact on air quality. This is a general term and does not imply a criteria air pollutant, a hazardous air pollutant, or a greenhouse gas. Mode-specific pollutants for mobile sources are also considered pollutants (e.g., BRK__PM10 for PM10₁₀ emitted from vehicle braking).\n\n12. A contaminant in a concentration or amount that adversely alters the physical, chemical, or biological properties of the natural environment.\n\n13. Dredged spoil; solid waste; incinerator residue; filter backwash; sewage; garbage; sewage sludge; munitions; chemical wastes; biological materials; radioactive materials (except those regulated under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended [42 U.S.C. section 2011 et seq.]); heat; wrecked or discarded equipment; rock; sand; cellar dirt; and industrial, municipal, and agricultural waste discharged into water.\n\n14. Any substance introduced into the environment that may adversely affect the usefulness of a resource or the health of humans, animals, or ecosystems. For most environmental media, this term is commonly understood to refer to substances introduced by human activities. In the case of air, the convention is to include substances emitted from natural sources as well (See air pollutant).\n\n15. Dredged spoil, solid waste, incinerator residue, sewage, garbage, sewage sludge, munitions, chemical wastes, biological materials, radioactive materials not covered by the Atomic Energy Act, heat, wrecked or discarded equipment, rock, sand, cellar dirt, and industrial, municipal, and agricultural waste dischargedinto water. The legislative history of the Act reflects that “radioactive materials” as included within the definition of “pollutant” in section 502 of the Act means only radioactive materials which are not encompassed in the definition of source, byproduct, or special nuclear materials as defined by the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, and regulated under the Atomic Energy Act. Examples of radioactive materials not covered by the Atomic Energy Actand, therefore, included within the term “pollutant”, are radium and accelerator produced isotopes. See Train v. Colorado Public Interest Research Group, Inc.,426 U.S. 1 (1976).\n\n16. Unwanted chemicals or other materials found in the air. Pollutants can harm health, the environment and property. Many air pollutants occur as gases or vapors, but some are very tiny solid particles: dust, smoke or soot.\n\n17. Any substance introduced into the environment that may adversely affect the usefulness of a resource or the health of humans, animals, or ecosystems. For most environmental media, this term is commonly understood to refer to substances introduced by human activities. In the case of air, the convention is to include substances emitted from natural sources as well.\n\n18. Organic substance, an inorganic substance, a combination of organic and inorganic substances, or a pathogenic organism that, after discharge and upon exposure, ingestion, inhalation, or assimilation into an organism either directly from the environment or indirectly by ingestion through the food chain, could, on the basis of information available to the Administrator of EPA, cause death, disease, behavioral abnormalities, cancer, genetic mutations, physiological malfunctions (including malfunction in reproduction), or physical deformations in either organisms or offspring of the organisms.\n\n19. As defined by section 104(a)(2) of CERCLA, includes, but is not limited to, any element, substance, compound, or mixture, including disease-causing agents, which after release into the environment and upon exposure, ingestion, inhalation, or assimilation into any organism, either directly from the environment or indirectly by ingestion through food chains, will or may reasonably be anticipated to cause death, disease, behavioral abnormalities, cancer, genetic mutation, physiological malfunctions (including malfunctions in reproduction) or physical deformations, in such organisms or their offspring. The term does not include petroleum, including crude oil and any fraction thereof that is not otherwise specifically listed or designated as a hazardous substance under section 101(14)(A) through (F) of CERCLA, nor does it include natural gas, liquefied natural gas, or synthetic gas of pipeline quality (or mixtures of natural gas and such synthetic gas). [40 CFR 310.3 (CFR 2013)]\n\n20. Dredged spoil; solid waste; incinerator residue; filter backwash; sewage; garbage; sewage sludge; munitions; chemical wastes; biological materials; radioactive materials (except those regulated under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended [42 U.S.C. section 2011 et seq.]); heat; wrecked or discarded equipment; rock; sand; cellar dirt; and industrial, municipal, and agricultural waste discharged into water. [40 CFR 122.2]\n\n21. Dredged spoil, solid waste, incinerator residue, sewage, garbage, sewage sludge, munitions, chemical wastes, biological materials, radioactive materials, heat, wrecked or discarded equipment, rock, sand, cellar dirt and industrial, municipal, and agricultural waste discharged into water. For the purposes of this section, the term also means sewage from vessels within the meaning of section 312 of the Act.\n\n22. Dredged spoil, solid waste, incinerator residue, filter backwash, sewage, garbage, sewage sludge, munitions, chemical wastes, biological materials, radioactive materials (except those regulated under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (42 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.)), heat, wrecked or discarded equipment, rock, sand, cellar dirt and industrial, municipal, and agricultural waste discharged into water. It does not mean: (a) Sewage from vessels; or (b) Water, gas, or other material which is injected into a well to facilitate production of oil or gas, or water derived in association with oil and gas production and disposed of in a well, if the well used either to facilitate production or for disposal purposes is approved by authority of the State in which the well is located, and if the State determines that the injection or disposal will not result in the degradation of ground or surface water resources. Note: Radioactive materials covered by the Atomic Energy Act are those encompassed in its definition of source, byproduct, or special nuclear materials. Examples of materials not covered include radium and accelerator-produced isotopes. See Train v. Colorado Public Interest Research Group, Inc., 426 U.S. 1 (1976).[40 CFR 122.2 (CFR 2013)] [40 CFR 122.2 (CFR 2013)] [Pretreatment Acronyms and Glossary] . [40 CFR 401.11 (CFR 2017)]\n\n23. Dredged spoil, solid waste, incinerator residue, filter backwash, sewage, garbage, sewage sludge, munitions, chemical wastes, biological materials, radioactive materials (except those regulated under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended [42 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.)], heat, wrecked or discarded equipment, rock, sand, cellar dirt and industrial, municipal, and agricultural waste discharged into water. It does not mean a.) Sewage from vessels. b.) Water, gas, or other material that is injected into a well to facilitate production of oil or gas, or water derived in association with oil and gas production and disposed of in a well, if the well used either to facilitate production or for disposal purposes is approved by authority of the state in which the well is located, and if the state determines that the injection or disposal will not result in the degradation of ground or surface water resources.\n\n24. A substance that makes land, water, and air dirty and not safe or suitable use…something that causes pollution.\n\n25. This indicates the Pollutant for which the TMDL load was calculated.",
  "abbreviation": "POLL",
  "subject": "Water",
  "references": [
    "Sediment Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) Glossary",
    "RCRA Glossary of Terms; Terms of Environment",
    "Aquatic Biodiversity Glossary",
    "40 CFR 122.2",
    "Drinking Water Technical & Legal Terms",
    "Total Maximum Daily Loads (303d) Glossary; Impaired Waters and Total Maximum Daily Loads Glossary",
    "Urban Watershed Management Research Terminology",
    "Emissions Inventory System Glossary",
    "Contaminated Sediments Glossary & Acronyms",
    "CADDIS Glossary",
    "Control Strategy Tool (CoST) Glossary",
    "Watershed Planning Glossary of Terms",
    "Report on the Environment (ROE) Glossary",
    "40 CFR 230.3 (CFR 2013)",
    "Clean Air Act - Plain English",
    "40 CFR 503.9 (CFR 2013)",
    "40 CFR 307.14 (CFR 2013)",
    "Pretreatment Glossary",
    "40 CFR 21.2 (CFR 2018)",
    "NPDES Permit Writers Glossary",
    "NPDES Permit Writers Manual Glossary",
    "Aquatic Resources Awareness Course for Real Estate Appraisers Glossary",
    "Expert Query Glossary"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/environment/pollutant/"
}