Chapter 19 Land Pollution

1. Chapter 19 Land Pollution

2. Section 19.1 – Solid Wastes • Solid wastes – all garbage and sludge products from agriculture, forestry, mining, and municipalities. • Includes: garbage, trash, junk, scrap and sewage. • Garbage Disposal in the Past. • People disposed of garbage in the streets. • 1892 – outbreaks of typhoid fever (bacterial disease) and cholera (intestinal bacterial infection) forced NY officials to establish better sanitary condition's.

3. Section 19.1 – Solid Wastes • 1900 – Garbage collected from the streets, loaded into barges and dumped into the ocean. • Landfills were established to solve the problem of the polluted waters. • Landfill – a site where wastes are disposed of by burying them. • About 70% of today’s garbage is dumped in landfills.

4. Section 19.1 – Solid Wastes • Problems with landfills. • Space • Odor • Disease • Pests • Rainfall carries pollutants to soli and water. Also known as leaching. • Sanitary Landfills • Cover waste with layers of soil. • Produces methane gas (combustible) • Leaching of toxic substances. • To prevent need impermeable liners.

5. Section 19.2 – Hazardous Wastes Effects of Hazardous Materials • Hazardous wastes – solid, liquid, or gaseous wastes that are potentially harmful to humans and the environment, even in low concentrations. • Problems • Containers leak, wastes enters land and water. Gases (known as oxides) are released into the atmosphere.

6. Accidents Involving Hazardous Waste

7. Section 19.2 – Hazardous Wastes Classification of Hazardous Materials 1. Reactive wastes – can explode. Sodium – Metal comes in contact with water 2. Corrosive wastes – can eat through steel and many other materials. Battery acid and lye (drain-cleaning products).

8. Section 19.2 – Hazardous Wastes • Ignitable wastes – Can burst into flames at relatively low temperatures. - Immediate danger to smoke and fire and fumes. • Toxic wastes – chemicals that are poisonous to people • Can cause birth defects, cancer and health problems.

9. Section 19.2 – Hazardous Wastes • Radioactive wastes – radiation that can harm people and other organisms. • Nuclear power plants, medical and scientific research • MedicalWastes – Old medicines, medicine containers, lab equipment, lab specimens, used syringes, blood vials, and tissue samples.

10. Section 19.2 – Hazardous Wastes Hazardous Home Wastes • Ammonia • Bleach • Toilet-bowl cleaners • Drain cleaners • Oven cleaners • Disinfectants • Furniture polish • Medicines • Paints • Oil • Pesticides

11. Section 19.3 – Topsoil erosion • Erosion – natural forces that carry away soil. • Major causes are wind and running water. • Activities such as overgrazing, cultivation, deforestation and poor irrigation causes soil loss and desertification. • About 30% of earth’s land has undergone desertification • In the U.S., parts of AZ, CO, CA and TX are at risk.

12. Section 19.3 – Topsoil erosion The Grand Canyon

13. Section 19.3 – Topsoil erosion Soil Conservation and Land Management 1. Strip-Cropping – Farmland is plowed so that plowed trips are separated by planted strips. - Having at least part of the land covered by vegetation reduces topsoil loss. 2. Shelter Belts – Rows of trees are planted along the edges of a field. - Also known as windbreaks. - They slow down the wind to prevent soil loss.

14. Section 19.4 – Controlling Pollution on Land Reducing the Volume of Waste • Disposable items make up about ¼ of all wastes placed in landfills. • Reusable items can eliminate that fraction. • 50% of waste by communities is paper products • Recycling can also eliminate that number. • Don’t trash biodegradable products. • Biodegradable – substances decompose easily and enrich the soil. • Can be used to make a compost pile. • Plant waste and certain food waste are used.