Kirletici

Kirletici is a Turkish term that translates roughly to pollutant or contaminant. In environmental science, a kirletici is any substance, energy, or organism that degrades the quality of air, water, soil, or ecosystems, or that poses a risk to human health. The concept encompasses a wide range of materials and energy forms, from chemical compounds to noise and heat, that exceed natural background levels or disrupt ecological balance.

Kirleticiler can be classified in several ways. They can be of natural or anthropogenic origin, solid, liquid, or gaseous in phase, and may enter the environment through various pathways such as inhalation, ingestion, or dermal contact. Primary pollutants are released directly from sources, while secondary pollutants form through chemical reactions in the atmosphere or environment. Common examples include particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, ground-level ozone, heavy metals, pesticides, and persistent organic pollutants.

The presence of kirletici affects health and ecosystems. Exposure can cause respiratory and cardiovascular problems, water and soil contamination, biodiversity loss, and disruption of ecological processes. Monitoring and assessment rely on concentration measurements (for example, micrograms per cubic meter in air or milligrams per liter in water) and the comparison with regulatory standards set by health and environmental authorities. Regulatory approaches include emission standards, pollution permits, environmental impact assessments, and pollution-control technologies such as filters, scrubbers, wastewater treatment, and cleaner production practices.

In Turkish policy and law, the term kirletici is used in discussions of pollution and environmental protection, alongside related concepts like kirlilik (pollution) and kirlilik yapan maddeler (pollutants).