Pls help

[wuwei]

Hi, I read a report on BBC, and find the word "contamination", it is same as pollution in Chinese meaning, could you pls tell me the difference of these two.
Thanks
Ian

[wuwei]

The ban shut off a market of thirty-million potential customers in the south of the country and reinforced the negative publicity facing the soft drinks giants.

what does the sentence means, does gaints here mean that the big companies, thanks

[Shad]

Yes gaints here mean big soft-drinks company.

the sentence means THE BAN STRENTHENED THE NEGATIVE PUBLICITY(DEFAMATION).
tHANKS