TOP 10 NATURAL POLLUTANTS - ENVIRONMENT - 2026

Natural pollutants are gases, liquids and other material residues that come from nature and that alter the balance of the environment. For example, the gases released by volcanoes or the waste substances released by animals.

Natural pollution refers to that which is produced by natural agents, that is, that pollution that is caused by elements existing in nature. It is the opposite of industrial pollution.

Sakurajima, one of the most active volcanoes in the world.

It is produced by the action of mechanisms within nature itself, such as:

1. When some materials are diluted in the earth and they come into contact with water sources.
2. The remains of animals and plants.
3. When certain animals pass through certain areas.
4. The exchange product of natural phenomena of certain minerals and their interaction with each other.

The main natural pollutants

1. Hurricanes

These are transporting various materials and elements, so they are taken to certain areas that in the future will be the cause of contamination, such as areas of water or even in the air itself.

2. Volcanic eruption

The explosions that can be generated through volcanoes produce various potentially polluting elements that are normally expelled into the same atmosphere.

This material normally occurs in a gaseous state, but on many occasions it is found in its liquid and solid form.

In general, volcanoes, when they erupt, expel different substances, such as sulfur, as well as hydrogen, chlorine, fluorine, methane and even carbon dioxide.

All these different substances not only alter the air, but, in turn, end up altering the water and the soil, although in the case of the air the most common is that it is contaminated by the particles that are released.

3. Drafts

Air currents generate different types of polluting effects due to their own characteristics, by dragging different elements and promoting the contact and exchange of different substances and particles that are transported from one side to another.

Storms, for example, cause a large number of elements and particles to be suspended in the air, such as dust, spores, pollen, seeds, etc.

4. Forest fire

Naturally caused forest fires are considered pollutants in that they release a large amount of gases such as carbon monoxide and dioxide, as well as dust and ash that primarily pollute the air and also the soil.

5. Minerals that enter the water

There are elements that are naturally incorporated into bodies of water, however, depending on the level of concentration in which they are found, they can cause environmental imbalances and, therefore, be considered polluting factors.

Some minerals that are initially nutritious for wildlife, and that are incorporated or introduced to aquifers in high concentrations, such as fluoride, copper, iron, can be harmful to living beings, plants and fish.

Other elements such as cadmium and lead, from natural sources, are very dangerous to health even in very small quantities.

Mercury, which is also found on the surface of the earth's crust, is an element that can be highly polluting if it reaches very high levels of concentration.

6. Soil erosion

This phenomenon frequently produced by rains, mudslides, avalanches, among others, weaken the vegetal layer of our planet and carry with it a large amount of materials, wearing down the earth's crust, stripping it of its nutrients and deforesting large areas.

7. Electric shocks

This natural phenomenon produces the emission of electrically charged ions and produces nitrogen oxide that is released into the atmosphere.

8. Animals that live in water

Sometimes natural contamination can occur by the direct action of animals that live in the water, such as ducks and geese that deposit their excrement with organisms that are harmful.

Another example is represented by nutrients such as phosphorus, which is initially beneficial for the growth of plankton on which fish feed, but they also die excessively and this produces a lot of organic matter in the water, which decreases the dissolved oxygen in it.

9. Dead animals

Dead animals can carry diseases or bacteria such as bird flu, rabies, and salmonella that can be transmitted through water.

On the other hand, the decomposition process can generate an increase in the levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in the water currents that can trigger other harmful events for humans, such as the growth of toxic plants.

10. Toxic plants

Some plants and algae can contaminate water supplies and cause a number of diseases.

Contact rashes, cramps, vomiting, sore throat, diarrhea, muscle and joint pain, and even liver damage, are caused by so-called cyanobacteria or blue-green algae found in lakes, rivers, ponds and other bodies of water due to the toxins they produce.

All of these toxic plants also pose an additional problem as they kill fish and other aquatic creatures.

Their presence creates a dead zone where nothing can live.

References

1. Theresa Crouse (2015) 6 Natural Contaminants Found In Water. Suvivopedia. Recovered from survivopedia.com
2. Sources of Pollution: Natural Sources (sf) Barataria National Terrebonne Estuary Water Quality Program. Recovered from btnep.org
3. Essays, UK. (2013) Natural And Man Made Pollution Environmental Sciences Essay. Recovered from ukessays.com
4. Natural Pollution (sf) Types of Pollution. Recovered from typesofcontamination.net
5. Natural Pollution (2014) Environmental Pollution. Recovered from contacionambiental.info