# Pollution vocabulary — C1

https://hienglishquiz.com/vocabulary/pollution-c1

- Title: Pollution Advanced
- CEFR: C1 (Advanced)
- Theme: Nature & Environment
- Words: 21

Advanced words for pollution science and policy, such as microplastics, effluent, remediation and particulate matter, plus the polluter-pays principle and…

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## Word list

* **microplastics**: Tiny pieces of man-made material, often only a few millimetres wide, that come from bottles, clothes and bags and end up in water, soil and food. — “Scientists have found **microplastics** in bottled water, fish and even table salt.”
* **effluent** /ˈɛfluənt/: Liquid waste that a factory or sewage works pours into a river or the sea. — “The plant was fined for releasing untreated **effluent** into the river.”
* **leachate**: Dirty liquid that forms when rain runs down through buried rubbish and carries harmful substances out of it. — “Workers collect the **leachate** at the bottom of the landfill so it cannot reach the groundwater.”
* **contaminant** /kənˈtæmənənt/: A substance that makes water, soil or food dirty or unsafe by getting into it where it should not be. — “Tests showed that lead was the main **contaminant** in the town's drinking water.”
* **remediation** /rɪˌmidiˈeɪʃən/: The work of cleaning up polluted land or water so that it is safe to use again. — “The **remediation** of the old gasworks site took almost ten years.”
* **toxin** /ˈtɑksən/: A poisonous substance made by a living thing, or a harmful chemical that can damage the body. — “Some shellfish carry a **toxin** that can make people seriously ill.”
* **smokestack** /ˈsmoʊkˌstæk/: A very tall chimney on a factory or power station that sends dirty gases high into the air. — “Black smoke poured from the **smokestack** all through the night.”
* **fly-tipping**: Dumping rubbish illegally in a place that is not meant for waste, such as a roadside or field. — “The council has put up cameras to stop **fly-tipping** on the country lanes.”
* **scrubber** /ˈskrʌbər/: A device that removes harmful gases or particles from factory smoke before it goes into the air. — “The power station fitted a **scrubber** to its chimney last year.”
* **sludge** /slʌdʒ/: Thick, soft, dirty mud left over after sewage or industrial waste has been treated. — “The treatment plant has to dispose of tonnes of **sludge** every week.”
* **heavy metals**: Poisonous substances such as lead and mercury that stay in soil and water and harm living things. — “Fish from the lake contain high levels of **heavy metals**.”
* **carcinogen** /kɑrˈsɪnədʒən/: A substance that can cause cancer. — “Asbestos is a well-known **carcinogen**, so it is no longer used in buildings.”
* **algal bloom**: A sudden fast growth of tiny water plants that turns a lake or sea green and can poison fish. — “An **algal bloom** covered the whole lake, and swimming was banned.”
* **catalytic converter**: A part in a car's exhaust system that turns the most harmful gases into less harmful ones. — “Thieves stole the **catalytic converter** from her car overnight.”
* **landfill tax**: A government charge on companies for each tonne of rubbish they bury in the ground, meant to encourage recycling. — “The **landfill tax** has pushed many firms to sort and recycle more.”
* **polluter-pays principle**: The idea that whoever causes damage to the environment should cover the cost of putting it right. — “Under the **polluter-pays principle**, the company had to fund the clean-up.”
* **ecological footprint**: A measure of how much land, water and resources a person or group uses and how much waste they produce. — “Flying less is one way to shrink your **ecological footprint**.”
* **emissions cap**: A legal upper limit on the amount of a harmful gas or substance that a factory or country may release. — “The government lowered the **emissions cap** for coal plants again this year.”
* **discharge** /dɪsˈtʃɑrdʒ/: The release of liquid or gas, especially waste, into a river, the sea or the air. — “The company was fined for the illegal **discharge** of chemicals into the harbour.”
* **decontaminate** /dikənˈtæməˌneɪt/: To remove dangerous substances from a place, person or object so that it becomes safe. — “Teams in white suits had to **decontaminate** the whole lab after the spill.”
* **particulate matter**: Extremely small pieces of solid or liquid floating in the air, which can be breathed deep into the lungs. — “Traffic is the main source of **particulate matter** in the city centre.”

## Other levels

- [Pollution · A1](https://hienglishquiz.com/vocabulary/pollution-a1) — markdown: https://hienglishquiz.com/vocabulary/pollution-a1.md
- [Pollution · A2](https://hienglishquiz.com/vocabulary/pollution-a2) — markdown: https://hienglishquiz.com/vocabulary/pollution-a2.md
- [Pollution · B1](https://hienglishquiz.com/vocabulary/pollution-b1) — markdown: https://hienglishquiz.com/vocabulary/pollution-b1.md
- [Pollution · B2](https://hienglishquiz.com/vocabulary/pollution-b2) — markdown: https://hienglishquiz.com/vocabulary/pollution-b2.md
- [Pollution · C2](https://hienglishquiz.com/vocabulary/pollution-c2) — markdown: https://hienglishquiz.com/vocabulary/pollution-c2.md

## Related

- All Nature & Environment sets: https://hienglishquiz.com/vocabulary#nature-environment
- Vocabulary library: https://hienglishquiz.com/vocabulary
- Section guide: https://hienglishquiz.com/vocabulary/llms.txt