pollues

Pollues are a broad, fictional category of environmental contaminants described in speculative discourse to illustrate how pollutants can move across media and scales. This article treats pollues as a theoretical construct rather than a real-world class, used in thought experiments and some science-fiction contexts.

The term Pollues borrows from the French verb polluer, meaning to pollute, and is used in fictional and theoretical writing to signify a unifying class of pollution phenomena that cross traditional categories.

Pollues can be physical substances such as chemicals, heavy metals, and microplastics; biological agents including invasive organisms; or non-physical factors like noise, light, and electromagnetic pollution. They are defined by cross-media mobility, persistence, potential for cumulative effects, and interactions with sensitive ecosystems.

Measurement and modeling: In the fictional framework, a Pollue Index (PI) aggregates exposure across air, water, soil, and urban surfaces, with weightings for ecological vulnerability and human exposure. Data may come from hypothetical monitoring networks and model projections, with uncertainty acknowledged.

Impacts and management: In narratives, pollues affect biodiversity, ecosystem services, and public health, as well as climate feedbacks in some settings. Management concepts emphasize source reduction, improved monitoring, cross-sector policy integration, and public engagement, all adapted to the pollue concept rather than a real pollutant.

Related topics include pollution, pollutants, environmental monitoring, and risk assessment.