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Soil and Water Pollutants

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By definition, pollutants are organic or inorganic substances present in harmful amounts (above background concentrations) within air, water and soil. Land contamination is defined as land that has a pollutant (or pollutants) at above-background concentrations causing, or with the potential to cause, adverse impacts to human health, the environment or any environmental value. The main causes of land and water contamination are largely a result of poor or inadequate practices linked with human habitation and development. Industry, mining, forestry, intensive agriculture (e.g. feedlots, horticulture, broadacre farming), roadworks and urban development all have the potential to pollute soils and waterways, if poorly managed .

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