Radioactive waste contains several radionuclides such as Strontium90, Iodine129, Cesium-137 and isotopes of Iron, which are most injurious. Thus, any of the sources polluting the air, water, and soil may also become sources of food pollution. Their stacks take the form of dunes and spread far and wide. In China, agriculture is responsible for a large share of surface-water pollution and is responsible almost exclusively for groundwater pollution by nitrogen. _____ 1. Accordingly, large quantities of solid waste are generated throughout the country as the country’s population is almost five times the urban population. Electronic goods, broken furniture, junk papers, polythene bags, plastic cans, bottles, wastewater, toxic waste from the hospital etc. Biological agents Industrial wastes – Disposal of Industrial wastes is the major problem for soil pollution Sources: Industrial pollutants are mainly discharged from various origins such as pulp … should be recycled as well as can be reused at domestic levels in a bid to reduce soil pollution. Fertilizer is material added to soil to make plants grow larger and faster. Agriculture Production. Acid rain damages the basic properties of the soil. Some of the soil pollutants are biodegradable and decompose gradually after a given some time. The problem arises when their unnecessary pile is dumped on the fields and this organic debris starts to decay by rain water. It causes various respiratory diseases including asthma, bronchitis and even cancer. Chemical pollution occurs when chemicals used in production leach into the soil from factories and other sources of contamination. Radioactive pollutants 5. Unused chemicals and unwanted industrial waste such as lead, copper, fly ash, mud, plastic and sawdust are some unused chemicals which inhibit the growth of organic agents in the soil. This is the reason why the pile of garbage is increasing everywhere on the available land around the industrial areas. Thus, the upper portion of the land is inadvertently destroyed. Soil pollution is the build-up of chemicals, radioactive materials, toxic compounds, and disease-causing agents in the soil to levels that can cause adverse effects on plant growth and damage to both human and animal health. Definition or source of land pollution Land pollution Soil pollution is increasing very rapidly due to the optimum use of air-water fertilizers and pesticides present in air so2 i.e. Nowadays, controlled tipping is followed for solid waste disposal. Some of these wastes are bio-degradable, some flammable, toxic, some foul-smelling and some are inactive, but all of them occupy space and become the cause of soil pollution in some form or the other. Municipal waste includes garbage removed from homes; human excreta, waste of fruits and vegetables thrown in markets, waste of various industrial organizations, plant waste of gardens, dung mixed with fodder of animal shelters, garbage and sludge from street drains and gutters, and all kinds of litter generated from slaughter houses, butcher’s shop, fish market, poultry centres and leather research institutions. (And Are They Biodegradable?). 2017). The main waste there consists of industrial waste. Essentially, all life depends upon the soil … There can be no life without soil and no soil without life; they have evolved together. This leads to lower crop yields in the future and thus may lead to food shortages. Apart from these, some big items such as broken furniture, impaired motor vehicles equipment, redundant components, tyres etc, can also be included in this. Soil pollution often is caused by excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides, however, there are many other reasons. Sources of Soil Pollution Industrial Wastes- fly ash, effluent i.e. Air Pollution is an undesirable change in the physical, chemical or biological characteristics of air. Small particles of the dust during construction activities can easily spread all through the air and slowly intermingle into the soil. Agricultural practices such as the use of non-organic products in crop and livestock production lead to soil pollution. _taboola.push({ Why People Are Installing Home Solar Systems? Others are non-biodegradable, which means they can persist in the soil for a long period. Mining and smelting activities by coal and mineral mining industry is a major cause of soil pollution. Many times many chemical substances get merged in the soil, accidentally or unconsciously. }); Copyright White Planet Technologies Pvt. Non-point source pollution is often more difficult to control than point source pollution. The impurities in the soil are mainly located in a finer and coarser part of the soil, such as the hummus. There are also other hazardous materials that leak from mining activities, including harmful dust particles that are deposited on the surrounding soils. Though not a direct contributing factor to soil pollution, deforestation leads to the removal of the shield that protects the soil against the agents of erosion. Following are some human-caused reasons of soil pollution: Soil pollution is caused due to various household wastes and chemical fertilizers used in farming, besides chemicals and wastes generated in the industries. Soil pollution takes place due to fertilizers, insecticides and pesticides used in the fields. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat, or light. Sources of Soil Pollution. Pollution that does not come from a specific site; but instead come from several different and diffuse sources, is called Nonpoint Source Pollution. Radioactive pollutants are generated from explosive devices, atomic tests and atomic activities in laboratories of nuclear power plants. Radiation pollution results from two sources, that is, the natural and anthropogenic actions. Rainwater carries Sr-90 and Cs-137 to be deposited on the soil, where they are held firmly with the soil particles by electrostatic forces. Recently, a tendency has been noticed in the farmers that they have decreased the use of potassium and phosphorus as fertilisers in soil and have increased the use of urea to gain high productivity without caring for its ill effects on soil. Ex: Lavatories should be equipped with quick and effective disposal methods. Soil water 25 Soil air 25 TYPES, EFFECTS AND SOURCES OF SOIL POLLUTION Soil pollution mainly occurs due to the following: 1. Industrial wastes should be properly treated at source. The polluted soil becomes acidic in nature. People should be made aware through informal and formal public awareness programs on health hazards and environmental education. Natural factors due to which soil degradation occurs include volcanic eruptions, alterations in rainfall patterns, earthquakes, geographical changes, air pollution and melting of glaciers. In most cases, however, the soil is polluted because of human activities and usually results in both long-term and short-term impacts. Large scale industrialization and urbanization, the increasing population in the cities and the emerging fluid and solid residues are polluting the soil. Environmental Effects Of Copper Pollution . Soil pollution, also called soil contamination, refers to the degradation of land due to the presence of chemicals or other man-made substances in the soil.The xenobiotic substances alter the natural composition of soil and affect it negatively. In other words, soil erosion is a process by which the soil particles transfer from place to place due to the effect of external factors (air or flowing water). It also reduces the river’s fishery, resulting in less food for the local community. Often it is achieved at the cost of the health of the soil. The root cause of soil pollution is often one of the following: Agriculture (excessive/improper use of pesticides) Excessive industrial activity. Soil contamination or soil pollution as part of land degradation is caused by the presence of xenobiotics (human-made) chemicals or other alteration in the natural soil environment. biodegradable and decompose gradually after, i) Pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides. Radon gas is a radioactive gas that comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water. Class 11: Chemistry: Environmental Chemistry: Sources of Soil Pollution Reusing will limit the need for replacing the used products, thus relatively reducing the number of household waste products such as plastics and e-waste that are sent to the landfill. The chemical pollutants gradually enter the diet chain through the crops produced. Soil acts as a filter and buffer for contaminants, but its potential to cope is finite. What is more, the materials used to manufacture fertilizers contain impurities that add to soil toxicity. Some plastics and glass can be recycled to lessen the volume of wastes and encourage environmental conservation. “Polluted runoff is created by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground. Soil pollution may arise from a wide range of sources that can be discrete point sources, or diffuse sources. Point sources of pollution are those which hav e direct identifiable source. Poor management or inefficient disposal of waste. But it’s short-lived because it leaves the atmosphere within a decade after it’s … Copper toxicity in the soil inhibits the mineralization of nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen since the metal gets attached to minerals and organic matter. Additionally, animal fodder contains antibiotics and potentially toxic chemicals that may be retained into animals (which later on become human food). Every day while cleaning kitchen remnants, plastic pieces, pieces of cloth, glass, vials, thermocol, aluminium, iron wire, tin container, tyres and other waste are removed from the homes and thrown as garbage. These products seep into the ground and act on the soil, thereby changing its structure, composition, and pH. Similarly, organic fertilizers should be used in place of synthesized chemical fertilizers. Stream stripping is an example of such a method where a jet of steam is injected into the contaminated soil to cause evaporation of volatile pollutants. Residues of all these materials produce gases such as sulphur and nitrogen oxide. It is typically caused by industrial activity, agricultural chemicals or improper disposal of waste.The most common chemicals involved are petroleum hydrocarbons, polynuclear aromatic … These byproducts combine with the rainwater causing the production of acidic rain, which changes the soil pH and, after that, affects the overall crop production. The garbage is dumped anyhow and contains wastes such as food waste, plastics, industrial wastes, e-waste, and general household wastes. It can also be used in the removal of hydrocarbons and halogenated hydrocarbons. Founded Conserve Energy Future with the sole motto of providing helpful information related to our rapidly depleting environment. Reduction of artificial fertilizers and pesticides used. A point source is a pipe or channel, such as those used for discharge from an industrial facility or a city sewerage system. Such contaminants include metals, inorganic ions and salts (e.g. Integrated waste treatment methods should be adopted. Soil pollution comes from different sources including agriculture and animal husbandry. In this method, the soil is brought into contact with the right chemical through a chemical process of restoring the natural chemical balance in the soil. Domestic sewage should be fully treated through chemical and biological methods before disposing the final effluent land for disposal. Strontium gets deposited in bones and tissues instead of calcium. All industries wastes should be treated at source before letting them into the sewers or water bodies for disposal. The most dangerous pollutants in this category are bioactive chemicals, due to which the micro-organisms of soil are being destroyed, resulting in decreased quality of soil. Household waste includes food scraps, old newspapers, and plastic items, bottles, wood, glasses, cans, old tools, tyres, worn out furniture, broken toys and many other substances. Today, there is an urgent need to save this limited resource from pollution to ensure adequate availability of habitats and food items. Carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and carbon monoxide are some of the gases produced from industrial activities that cause considerable pollution to soil indirectly. Ltd. | 2017 All Rights Reserved. The microbes are collected, cultured, and used to treat the environment. For instance, the rock phosphates mineral used for the manufacture of mixed fertilizers contain traces of Asbestos, Cadmium, and Lead, which are transferred to the fertilizer during production. The exposed soil is easily eroded and exposed to artificial chemical pollutants from the air, wind, and rain. sulphur dioxide which comes to the ground with rain in the form of h2 so4 at the time of rain and soil. An extracting agent is mixed with the contaminated soil. It is less expensive and more convenient to throw industrial waste on the available land or dump them by digging pits without treatment for industry managers. Human and animal excreta, poor sanitary conditions, wastes from hospitals and food joints cause soil pollution because they perpetrate growth of biological agents in the soil. Some of the agricultural practices lead to soil pollution. Human-caused soil pollution can work with natural processes to increase the level of pollution in the soil. Removal can be based on the separation of the particles of soil in fraction using the principle of the gravitational pull of different particles. In addition to these metals, copper, manganese, iron, and zinc are also important trace micronutrients. It is a state of emergency to control the decontamination in soil, air and water. Contaminants can be removed by evaporation. METHANE: Methane is a strong greenhouse gas and traps heat more efficiently than other gases. The amount of solid waste generated by our urban population (about 20 crore) in the country is estimated to be 5crore tonnes per annum. Soil pollution (also called soil contamination) can be defined as the occurrence of toxic chemicals in the soil. Sewage plants also contribute to soil pollution owing to how they dispose of sewage sludge from domestic and commercial waste. These are natural sources from cosmic rays, man-made sources by use of X-rays, nuclear weapons, Atomic reactors and fuel, radioactive isotopes in research laboratories are the main reasons to pollute rivers, streams and lakes etc. Soil pollution is synonymous with the problem of disposal of solid waste. There are many reasons as to why and how soil gets polluted. Diseases in humans such as dysentery, diarrhoea, plague, malaria and many other diseases are the result of indiscriminate dumping of waste. target_type: 'mix' Agricultural practices 4. As much as it’s an alternative method of addressing the impacts of soil pollution, emphasis should be on recycle, reuse, and reduce. Agriculture is a major contributor to methane (80%) (CH 4) and ammonia (90%) (NH 3).But methane makes up about 9% of total emissions, whereas CO 2 makes up about 82%. Deserts, infertile large agricultural lands, hilly areas devoid of vegetation are the result of soil erosion. Also, to prevent plants and animals from getting infected from various germs chemicals such Mailathian, Gamaxin, Dithane M-45, Dithane Z-78 and 2,4-D, etc are sprinkled which are extremely harmful substances. Ex: Mass media, Educational institutions and voluntary agencies can achieve this. To reduce soil pollution, there is a need to adopt the Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle strategy. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});