Problems of Soil Pollution

Environmental professionals consider soil pollutants to be chemicals that have an adverse affect on the soil. The chemicals are present in substances such as fuels, oils, solvents and paints. They are introduced into the soil by many different sources, including industries, commercial businesses and residences. Pollutants that exist in the soil can adversely affect natural habitats. They can also endanger the health of humans through direct contact as well as air and groundwater contamination.

Impact on Plants and Animals
Soil pollutants can affect the ability of a plant to grow or survive. For example, while some fertilizer is good for a crop, too much fertilizer may cause the plants to die. And fuel released from a vehicle accident may kill the surrounding vegetation. The soil pollution affects both plant life and animal life. The contaminants often kill the vegetation; animals that normally feed upon the vegetation are deprived of food and may starve if they are not able to find other sources of food.

Human Health Issues
Pollutants in soil pose a threat to the health of children and adults who play or work in the affected area. Residences, businesses and industrial areas may contain chemicals of concern in paints, heating oil and solvents, among others. Children and adults who work or play in the area can be exposed to the chemicals through direct skin contact with the contaminated soil, inhalation of chemical vapors emanating from the land surface, accidental ingestion of particulates and consumption of food grown in the contaminated soil.

Effects on Air and Water Quality
Contaminants in the soil can leach into the groundwater, causing water pollution, or vaporize into the air, causing air pollution. Volatile contaminants such as gasoline have constituents that easily vaporize from the land surface and cause air pollution. Soil contaminants such as solvents, fuels and oil may migrate in isolation from the land surface to the groundwater via gravity drainage. They may also leach into the groundwater in combination with rainwater. Contaminated groundwater becomes a problem for homeowners who rely on it for drinking and for plants with roots that extend downward into the water table.

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Land Pollution Problems

Pollution is defined as the introduction of toxic and potentially harmful substances into the environment. Pollution can outright harm or kill plant and animal species. For example, pesticides spilling into waterways can negatively impact fish. Pollution can also create instability and disruption of essential life cycles, such as a disruption of weather cycles due to air pollution from factories causing increased convection. Ignorance is deadly. A Cornell Study reports that 40 percent of human deaths worldwide are caused by pollution.

Significance
Pollution affects all life forms to some degree. Consider pesticide use. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 2.2 billion lbs. of pesticide are released into the environment each year. Of the 27 most common used ones, 15 are carcinogens. The frightening fact is that some use is unnecessary. The EPA reports that 41 percent of insecticides are used on corn of which crop rotation would accomplish the same goal, eliminating use of 81 percent of these toxins.

Types
Land pollution takes many forms, the most deadly caused by industry. Chemicals spilled or leached into the environment accidentally or intentionally can impact waterways and groundwater. Soils can be contaminated by use of toxins in industrial practices, such as mining or pesticide application. Contaminants can be found in common household items, such as batteries, and released into the soil in landfills.

Effects
The EPA estimated that there are more than 500,000 abandoned mines in the United States. Mines can present safety risks due to old buildings, air shafts and other structures. Chemicals used in mining include toxic materials, such as arsenic and cadmium, that can dissolve into the groundwater and surface water. An especially destructive effect of mining is the impact on aquatic habitats. Mine drainage can cause AMD or acid mine drainage. AMD impacts waterways by lowering pH levels to such low levels that life is unsustainable. Environmental recovery is costly and difficult.

Considerations
While the immediate and aesthetic effects are causes for concern, the long-term effects can be equally alarming. Elevated levels of minerals, such as lead and zinc, used in hard rock mining have leeched into groundwater and surface water, making recovery impossible. In fact,more than 40 percent of United States rivers and 46 percent of American lakes are too polluted to sustain aquatic life.

Prevention/Solution
The first step to recovery is awareness and education. A clean-up effort in 2008 by Keep America Beautiful (KAB) recovered more than 86 million lbs. of litter from parks and roadways. Despite awareness efforts, people still litter. Obviously, more education is needed to set the facts straight about pollution. Industry and businesses also need to be aware of the long-term effects of improper management and disposal. The cost of pollution in environmental damage and human life is too great.

Source: http://www.ehow.com/about_5453733_land-pollution-problems.html