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Soil Contamination. By: Amanda Smith, Daniela Gonzalez, and Kyle Clack. What is Soil Contamination?.
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Soil Contamination By: Amanda Smith, Daniela Gonzalez, and Kyle Clack
What is Soil Contamination? • Soil contamination, or soil pollution, is the occurrence of pollutants in soil above a certain level causing a deterioration or loss of one or more soil functions. It is considered as the presence of man-made chemicals or other alteration in the natural soil environment. The contaminants in the soil are physically or chemically attached to soil particlesor are trapped in the small spaces between soil particles.
Causes • Soil contamination can be caused by the presence of Xenobiotic. • Xenobiotic is human made chemicals. • It is also caused by industrial activity, agricultural chemicals, or improper disposal of waste. • Some common chemicals are petroleum hydrocarbons, polynucleararomatic hydrocarbons, solvents, pesticides, lead, and many other heavy metals. • More causes: • Corrosion of underground storage tanks • Application of pesticides and fertilizers • Mining • Oil and fuel dumping • Disposal of coal ash • Leaching from landfills • Direct discharge of industrial wastes to the soil • Drainage of contaminated surface water into the soil
Effects • Plants grown in contaminated soil take up the hazardous substances through their roots. • Humans or animals that ingest these plants may get sick. • People and animals can inhale soil contaminants through dust that is present in the air or absorb these hazardous chemicals through their skin. • Decrease in soil fertility and loss of nutrients. Since plants can’t thrive in such soil, this would result in soil erosion. • Crops that grow in contaminated soil would be poisonous enough to cause serious health problems in people consuming them. • Creation of toxic dust • Soil pollutants would altercate soil structure, leading to the death of many essential organisms in it. This would affect larger predators and force them to move to other places once they lose their food supply.
Effects of soil pollution: • Soil pollution is defined or can be described as the contamination of soil of a particular region.Causes of soil pollution:~Industrial wastes such as harmful gases and chemicals, agricultural pesticides, fertilizers and insecticides are the most common causes of soil pollution.~Ignorance towards soil management and related systems.~Unfavorable and harmful irrigation practices.~Improper septic system and management and maintenance of the same.~Leakages from sanitary sewage.~Acid rains, when fumes released from industries get mixed with rains.~Fuel leakages from automobiles, that get washed away due to rain and seep into the nearby soil.~Unhealthy waste management techniques, which are characterized by release of sewage into the large dumping grounds and nearby streams or rivers.>Toxic chemical compounds, salts, radioactive agents, toxins and other waste contribute to soil pollution.
Effects of soil pollution: • ~Decrease in soil fertility and therefore decrease in the soil yield.~Loss of soil and natural nutrients present in it. Plants also would not thrive in such soil, which would further result in soil erosion.~Disturbance in the balance of flora and fauna residing in the soil.~Increase in salinity of the soil, which therefore makes it unfit for vegetation, thus making it useless and barren.~Generally crops cannot grow and flourish in polluted soil. Yet, if some crops manage to grow, they would be poisonous enough to cause serious health problems in people consuming them.~Creation of toxic dust is another potential effect of soil pollution.~Foul smell due to industrial chemicals and gases might result in headaches, fatigue, nausea, etc., in many people.~Soil pollutants would bring in alteration in the soil structure, which would lead to death of many essential organisms in it. This would also affect the larger predators and compel them to move to other places, once they lose their food supply.
Ways to prevent soil pollution: • ~Farmers should be encouraged to start using bio fertilizers. The microorganisms in these fertilizers will help in increasing the fertility of the soil.~Farmers should shift to bio pesticides and fungicides, also known as herbicides. These products will take a little longer to react, but they do not have adver se effect on the soil.~Reduce Toxic Waste which play a big role in soil pollution~Recycle Waste which would in turn reduce the amount at landfills~Reuse (Recycle) also helps reduce amount at landfills~Deforestation:Soil erosion is caused, when there are no trees to prevent the top layer of the soil from being transported by different agents of nature like water and air. At the same time, measures should be taken to avoid over cropping and over grazing, as it leads to flood and soil erosion and further deterioration of the soil layer.
Sites I used: • http://greenliving.nationalgeographic.com/pollution-affect-living-things-including-humans-2193.html • http://www.buzzle.com/articles/soil-pollution-causes-and-effects.html • http://www.environmentalpollutioncenters.org/soil/ • http://www.epa.gov/superfund/students/wastsite/soilspil.htm • http://www.buzzle.com/articles/how-to-prevent-soil-pollution.html • www.environmentalpollutioncenters.org/soil/causes/ • http://www.livestrong.com/article/124497-causes-soil-pollution/ • http://ecologia.rtrk.co.uk/?
