It is not so considerable, but when we are putting those chemical-based washing detergents every day in a small lake, that lake water is getting contaminated.
After a few years, that lake will get polluted. So there is a small difference between pollution and contamination. Here are a few points that will help to clear the doubts between contamination and pollution.
Contamination vs Pollution
The difference between contamination and pollution is that contamination is a less governed issue and pollution is the highest governed issue in the current time. The high level of contamination leads to pollution. But the root of the pollution is under concern.
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When a drop of color is mixed with a tube of water, the water in the tube gets contaminated. The solute is called a contaminant. The solvent gets contaminated.
There are many types of contamination, such as radiological, biological, or chemical in nature.
Even at some places, people also drop-dead bodies in water which gets decomposed, and the river water gets contaminated. When this contaminated water is drunk by people, it leads to health hazards.
The air pollution is caused by the industrial vapors coming out from the chimneys, the loud horns of the vehicles, the high sound of the loudspeakers, etc.
All these practices are now in observation of the government. Crackers are banned in many cities to stop air and sound pollution.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Contamination | Pollution |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | When some other particle gets added or mixes with the original product | When contamination reaches to high level |
| Harm caused | It may be harmful and even may not be | This is harmful to the environment as well as organisms. |
| Governed | Less governed issue | Most governed issue |
| Effects | Mostly hazardous to health | Mostly hazardous to the environment |
| Example | Chemistry, forensic science, etc | Air pollution , water pollution, etc. |
What is Contamination?
When some external products get mixed up with the original product, that is called contamination. The external product that is mixed with the original is known as a contaminant.
For example, when a drop of color is mixed with a tube of water, the water in the tube gets contaminated. The solute is called a contaminant. The solvent gets contaminated.
There are many types of contamination, such as radiological, biological, or chemical in nature. Mostly this contamination is seen in forensic science.
When the pieces of evidence are collected from the crime scene, if the pieces of evidence are mixed somehow with any chemical, it gets contaminated, and the gene samples are tougher and sometimes even get lost.
If e consider the chemistry when one chemical gets mixed accidentally with another chemical that leads to chemical reaction and contamination of the chemical.
In the case of food chemistry, the pathogens are the contaminants that are responsible for the contamination of the food and the health problem of the consumer.
It is always said that awareness spreads to drink purified water. Some people in India still take river water as their daily intake water.
The river water easily gets contaminated as it is used for many other uses like washing utensils, clothes, etc.
Even at some places, people also drop-dead bodies in water which gets decomposed, and the river water gets contaminated. When this contaminated water is drunk by people, it leads to health hazards.
The diseases like Diadora, hepatitis, etc., spread through contaminated food and water. This is somehow a less concerning issue governed by the government and other public societies.
What is Pollution?
Pollution happens when the contamination reaches its peak. That condition is known as pollution. At that time, the solvents are termed pollutants.
There are many types of pollutions like air pollution, water pollution, sound pollution, etc. Pollution is now one of the major concerning issues by the government and the public societies.
The increased amount of pollution in the country is leading to many health hazards and environmental hazards.
Water pollution is happening due to the unfiltered and non-refined waste products from the industries.
Industrial waste is mainly composed of harmful chemicals that affect the aquatic organism as well as those people who use the river water for drinking and their household work.
Some selected lakes and rivers are allowed for idol emersion purposes.
So to avoid this type of usage, many of the lakes and rivers are now in observation of the government. These practices have been going on for many decades, which has now led to the pollution of the water bodies.
Similarly, the air pollution is caused by the industrial vapors coming out from the chimneys, the loud horns of the vehicles, the high sound of the loudspeakers, etc.
All these practices are now in observation of the government. Crackers are banned in many cities to stop air and sound pollution.
Main Differences Between Contamination and Pollution
- Contamination is most hazardous to health. On the other hand, pollution is most hazardous to the environment.
- When some other particle gets added or mixes with the original product leads to contamination, but in comparison to that, when contamination reaches a high level, then that is known as pollution.
- Contamination is comparatively a less governed issue, but in contrast to that, pollution is the most governed issue in current time.
- Contamination may be harmful and even may not be but in contrast to that, pollution is harmful to the environment as well as organisms
- Contamination mostly happens in chemistry, forensic science, etc., in contrast to that the pollution happens mostly in air pollution, water pollution, etc.
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Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
