Soil pollution is defined as the presence of toxic chemicals (pollutants or contaminants) in soil, in high enough concentrations to pose a risk to human health and/or the ecosystem. In the case of contaminants which occur naturally in soil, even when their levels are not high enough to pose a risk, soil pollution is still said to occur if the levels of the contaminants in soil exceed the levels that should naturally be present.
Soil pollution occurs when the presence of toxic chemicals, pollutants or contaminants in the soil is in high enough concentrations to be of risk to plants, wildlife, humans and of course, the soil itself. Arable land is turning to desert and becoming non-arable at ever-increasing rates, due largely in part to global warming and agricultural fertilizers and pesticides, lessening the hope that we can feed our booming population. Within 40 years, there will be over 2 billion more people, which is the equivalent of adding another China and India. Food production will have to increase at least 40% and most of that will have to be grown on the fertile soils that cover just 11% of the global land surface.
Soil Pollution Causes
There are numerous causes of soil pollution that occur every day or even every minute. For ease of reference, they are generally split into two: man-made (anthropogenic) causes and naturally occurring causes.
Man-Made Pollutants
Anthropogenic (man-made) soil pollution originates in several types of processes, some deliberate (industrial) and some accidental. Human-caused soil pollution can work in conjunction with natural processes to increase the toxic contamination levels in the soil.
- Accidental spills and leaks during storage, transport or use of chemicals (e.g. leaks and spills of gasoline and diesel at gas stations);
- Foundry activities and manufacturing processes that involve furnaces or other processes resulting in the possible dispersion of contaminants in the environment;
- Mining activities involving the crushing and processing of raw materials, for instance, heavy metals, emitting toxic substances;
- Construction activities
- Agricultural activities involving the diffusion of herbicides, pesticides and/or insecticides and fertilizers;
- Transportation activities, releasing toxic vehicle emissions
- Chemical waste dumping, whether accidental or deliberate – such as illegal dumping;
- The storage of waste in landfills, as the waste products may leak into groundwater or generate polluted vapors
- Cracked paint chips falling from building walls, especially lead-based paint.
Construction sites are the most important triggers of soil pollution in urban areas, due to their almost ubiquitous nature. Almost any chemical substance handled at construction sites may pollute the soil. However, the higher risk comes from those chemicals that can travel more easily through the air as fine particulate matter. The chemicals that travel as particulate matter are more resistant to degradation and bio accumulate in living organisms, such as PAHs.
Additionally, construction dust may easily spread around through the air and is especially dangerous because of its lower particle size (less than 10 microns). Such construction dust can trigger respiratory illnesses such as asthma and bronchitis, and even cancer. Moreover, the sites that involve the demolition of older buildings can release asbestos, a toxic mineral that can act as a poison in soil. Asbestos particles can be redistributed by the wind.
Natural Pollutants
Apart from the rare cases when a natural accumulation of chemicals leads to soil pollution, natural processes may also have an influence on the human released toxic chemicals into the soil, overall decreasing or increasing the pollutant toxicity and/or the level of contamination of the soil. This is possible due to the complex soil environment, involving the presence of other chemicals and natural conditions which may interact with the released pollutants.
Natural processes leading to soil pollution:
- Natural accumulation of compounds in soil due to imbalances between atmospheric deposition and leaking away with precipitation water (e.g., concentration and accumulation of perchlorate in soils in arid environments)
- Natural production in soil under certain environmental conditions (e.g., natural formation of perchlorate in soil in the presence of a chlorine source, metallic object and using the energy generated by a thunderstorm)
- Leaks from sewer lines into subsurface (e.g., adding chlorine which could generate trihalomethanes such as chloroform).
Effects of Soil Pollution
1. Effect on Health of Humans: Considering how soil is the reason we are able to sustain ourselves, the contamination of it has major consequences on our health. Crops and plants grown on polluted soil absorb much of the pollution and then pass these on to us. This could explain the sudden surge in small and terminal illnesses.
Long term exposure to such soil can affect the genetic make-up of the body, causing congenital illnesses and chronic health problems that cannot be cured easily. In fact, it can sicken the livestock to a considerable extent and cause food poisoning over a long period of time. The soil pollution can even lead to widespread famines if the plants are unable to grow in it.
2. Effect on Growth of Plants: The ecological balance of any system gets affected due to the widespread contamination of the soil. Most plants are unable to adapt when the chemistry of the soil changes so radically in a short period of time. Fungi and bacteria found in the soil that bind it together begin to decline, which creates an additional problem of soil erosion.
The fertility slowly diminishes, making land unsuitable for agriculture and any local vegetation to survive. The soil pollution causes large tracts of land to become hazardous to health. Unlike deserts, which are suitable for its native vegetation, such land cannot support most forms of life.
3. Decreased Soil Fertility: The toxic chemicals present in the soil can decrease soil fertility and therefore decrease in the soil yield. The contaminated soil is then used to produce fruits and vegetables which lacks quality nutrients and may contain some poisonous substance to cause serious health problems in people consuming them.
4. Toxic Dust: The emission of toxic and foul gases from landfills pollutes the environment and causes serious effects on health of some people. The unpleasant smell causes inconvenience to other people.
5. Changes in Soil Structure: The death of many soil organisms (e.g. earthworms) in the soil can lead to alteration in soil structure. Apart from that, it could also force other predators to move to other places in search of food.
A number of ways have been suggested to curb the current rate of pollution. Such attempts at cleaning up the environment require plenty of time and resources to be pitched in. Industries have been given regulations for the disposal of hazardous waste, which aims at minimizing the area that becomes polluted. Organic methods of farming are being supported, which do not use chemical laden pesticides and fertilizers. Use of plants that can remove the pollutants from the soil is being encouraged. However, the road ahead is quite long and the prevention of soil pollution will take many more years.
