What are quantitative and qualitative pollutants?

Answer 1

Quantitative means numbers and things that are measurable.

Qualitative is stuff that can't be measured, like feelings or consequences, or assumptions/opinions.

A student's report included a section about qualitative pollutants he observed in a local park. The pod was covered in a thick coat of green algae, as if the water became a giant emerald jewel. Heaps of litter were strewn along the banks; remnants of camp fires made black circles against the sandy soil. He argued that the conditions decreased the area's attractiveness to families.

Another student used a science kit to get measurements of the data. He collected water samples that showed the pond had very poor oxygenation. He sorted the trash, finding that 75% were bottles and cans which do not decompose. He found remnants of plastics that were burnt in half of the 20 camp fire sites. He tested the blackened soil and unaffected soil and noted that the blackened soil had lost 80% of its microorganisms needed for plant life. He argued that human action was changing a favorite picnic site into a small garbage dump, as proven through his quantitative assessments.