ABSTRACT
Pollution is any physical, chemical, or biological alteration of air, water, or land that is harmful to living organisms. Environmental deterioration started with the increasing population and industrialization. Numerous laws were developed, and today the US has the world's most comprehensive and toughest set of environmental laws and regulations. One of the most significant advances in environmental protection was the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in 1969. NEPA declares the national policy calling on the federal government and describes the impacts in the environmental impact statement (EIS). Current responsibilities of the EPA include research on the health and environmental impacts of a wide range of pollutants as well as the development and enforcement of environmental standards for pollutants outside of the workplaces. The Clean Water Act controls the discharge of toxic materials into surface streams. The act regulates the level of pollution by setting discharge limits and water quality standards.
