Pollution
noun, の adjective
Public damage is something that affects everyone, the whole public. What is in the air and gets into everything no matter where you are? How about pollution?
こうがい
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on'yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you'll know how to read this as well.
私は歩きタバコは公害だと思っています。
I believe smoking while walking is pollution.
日本では1950~1960年代にかけて、公害が大きな社会問題になりました。
In Japan, pollution became a huge societal problem between 1950 and 1960.
「カドミウム」は、四大公害病のひとつ「イタイイタイ病」を引き起こす原因となったことで知られています。
"Cadmium" is known to have caused one of the four major pollution-related diseases called "Itai-Itai disease."