Routes by which pollutants enter ecosystems

Pollutants may enter ecosystems as the consequence of human activity in the following ways:

1. ‘unintended’ release in the course of human activities (e.g. in nuclear accidents, mining operations, shipwrecks and fires);

2. disposal of wastes (e.g. sewage, industrial effluents);

3. deliberate application of biocides (e.g. pest control and vector control).