Ocean Blue September 2013 | Page 15

13 WHAT IS POLLUTION? the health of individuals. Synthetic chemicals, oil, toxic metals, and acid rain are included in this category of toxic pollutants. Other forms of pollution affect wildlife in a more indirect manner by altering or destroying wildlife habitat. Examples include the obliteration of canyons, marshes, and grasslands with solid waste landfills; the destruction of the ozone layer by chlorofluorocarbons, which may lead to widespread damage due to the effects of excessive ultraviolet radiation on wildlife and their food sources; and carbon dioxide accumulation in the atmosphere, which may lead to global changes in climate and the distribution of wildlife P ollution can be defined as the human alteration of chemical or physical characteristics of the environment to a degree that is harmful to living organisms. Some forms of pollution exert a destructive influence on wildlife by killing or impairing