ABSTRACT
Many toxic pollutants can be characterised as “general” because they act on various parts of the environment. A number of general pollutants that move by means of foods within the trophic chains appear in increasing concentrations from the lowest to the highest trophic levels. Biomagnification lends another, very serious aspect to some problems of pollution. This chapter examines classes of pollutants that occur frequently in the environment and are associated with serious toxicity phenomena that often accompany pollution. Effects on health range from irritation of the eyes or the respiratory system, fatigue, allergies, headaches, shortness of breath and nausea to damage to the liver, kidneys and central nervous system or cancer. The biocides are a large group of synthetic organic compounds which are toxic to some categories of organisms and are used in intensive agricultural production as well as in homes and gardens.
