In the UK the first systematic attempts to control the polluting effects of the industrial revolution were made by the Alkali Acts in the 19th Century. Later legislation addressed pollution of water and land (see the ill-fated Deposit of Poisonous Wastes Act 1972). These laws to control one problem have now become part of complex laws which cover potentially the most polluting industrial activities. In parallel, controls were imposed on the use of land through the planning system.