UK: Damage to land, water, property or the atmosphere by the disposal of waste materials or the release of toxic, corrosive, ionising, irritating, thermal or other noxious or offensive substances. The environment can also be impaired by noise or vibration. Pollution causes direct (bodily injury, damage to crops) and indirect (loss of profits due to business interruption and clean-up costs) costs. Statutory control comes through the Environmental Protection Acts 1990-95 invoking ‘the polluter pays principle’.
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US: The contamination of an environment by substances regarded as pollutants. Liability from pollution is normally excluded to some degree by the general, auto, and umbrella liability policies. In recent years, insurers have attempted to introduce strict exclusionary language into these policies, making it necessary for insureds to seek coverage under separate “environmental impairment liability” policies.