From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpollutionpol‧lu‧tion /pəˈluːʃən/ ●●○ S3 W2 noun [uncountable] 1 SGPDIRTYthe process of making air, water, soil etc dangerously dirty and not suitable for people to use, or the state of being dangerously dirty California’s tough anti-pollution lawsair/water/soil pollution air pollution from traffic fumespollution prevention/standards/control The costs of pollution control must be considered.2 SGPDIRTYsubstances that make air, water, soil etc dangerously dirty a plan to reduce pollutionindustrial/chemical etc pollution the effects of industrial pollution on the population The chemicals have been identified as a source of pollution. → noise pollutionCOLLOCATIONS – Meanings 1 & 2ADJECTIVES/NOUN + pollutionbad/serious/severeThe mines have caused serious pollution of the river system.The pollution was so bad that most of the fish died.air pollutionAir pollution can cause breathing problems for some people.atmospheric pollution formal (=air pollution)The oil wells continued to burn, causing atmospheric pollution on a massive scale.water/river pollutionThe National Rivers Authority tests levels of water pollution.marine pollution formal (=pollution of the sea)Oil spills are a major cause of marine pollution.environmental pollutionMost environmental pollution originates in the developed countries.industrial pollution (=from factories)A study has linked ill health in the area with industrial pollution.chemical pollutionChemical pollution threatens the survival of these animals.verbsreduce/cut pollutionNew measures are needed to reduce pollution from cars.control pollutionThe water company is failing to control pollution.tackle/combat pollution (=try to deal with it)Governments must tackle pollution now.prevent pollutionEfforts are being made to prevent further pollution.monitor pollution (=measure it)It is possible to monitor pollution from incinerator chimneys.pollution + NOUNpollution levelsThe aim is to reduce pollution levels to those of the 1930s.a pollution problemEnvironmentalists fear that the new factories will lead to severe pollution problems.pollution controlEffective pollution control was not being undertaken.phrasesa source/cause of pollutionThe factory was a clear source of pollution.Fumes from cars are a major cause of air pollution. GRAMMAR: Countable or uncountable?Pollution is an uncountable noun and is not used in the plural. You say: The air is full of pollution. ✗Don’t say: The air is full of pollutions.
Examples from the Corpus
pollution• Pollution and overfishing have reduced the population of coastal fish.• Pollution from cars is the main cause of global warming.• Pollution levels are often dangerously high in large cities.• Pollution levels in the area shot up as soon as the factory started operating.• A federal law spells out the penalties for missing the deadline to cut air pollution.• She says that transporting goods by rail instead of road would cut air pollution dramatically.• The city is looking into ways to reduce air pollution.• But Doran's invention is safe as well as economical and pollution free.• The convention, signed by the six states bordering the Black Sea, aims to reduce current pollution levels.• The most obvious examples of spillover costs involve environmental pollution.• The use of electric cars could be a key factor in fighting pollution.• Industrial pollution has killed much of the river's wildlife.• The report recommends a number of steps designed to limit pollution.• Not only do they consume more natural resources, they also produce more pollution.• The law speaks of causing or knowingly permitting pollution, and the concept of cause has been strictly construed.• Thousands of fish died from river pollution.• And there too I will cleanse the men from their pollution.• What pollution controls will the state authorities put in place?pollution prevention/standards/control• Such action represents the adoption of aspects of a second air pollution control strategy - namely, the emission standards strategy.• The water authorities thus not only set and enforce pollution standards, they are major polluters themselves.• Before they were defined, there were no ecological targets for pollution control, only political ones.• The factories had previously been ordered to install pollution control equipment but had failed to respond.• The district is the basic geographical unit of pollution control and usually contains one or two river or stream systems.• The lack of money spent on pollution control.source of pollution• The greatest sources of pollution are cars, power stations, the chemical industry and agriculture.• Although we tend to think of industrial effluent, sewage is a more important source of pollution.• The major sources of pollution were oil spills, discharges from refineries and natural seepage from oil-bearing strata.• Additionally, this waste is a potential source of pollution when it degrades, releasing undesirable chemicals into the soil and air.From Longman Business Dictionarypollutionpol‧lu‧tion /pəˈluːʃən/ noun [uncountable] when substances make air, water, soil etc dangerously dirty, or these substances themselvesthe effects of industrial pollutionThey plan to introduce measures to reduce air pollution from traffic fumes.tough anti-pollution laws 