Soil contamination or soil pollution as part of land degradation is caused by the presence of XenoBionis (human-made) chemicals or other alteration in the natural soil environment. It is typically caused by industrial activity, agricultural chemicals, or improper disposal of waste. The most common chemicals involved are petroleum hydrocarbons, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (such as naphthalene and benzo(a)pyrene), solvents, pesticides, lead, and other heavy metals. Contamination is correlated with the degree of industrialization and intensity of chemical usage.
The concern over soil contamination stems primarily from health risks, from direct contact with the contaminated soil, vapors from the contaminants, and from secondary contamination of water supplies within and underlying the soil.[1] Mapping of contaminated soil sites and the resulting cleanups are time consuming and expensive tasks, requiring extensive amounts of geology, hydrology, chemistry, computer modeling skills, and GIS in Environmental Contamination, as well as an appreciation of the history of industrial chemistry.[2]
Causes of Soil Pollution
The redundant, ever-increasing use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, insecticides and fertilizers is one of the main factors causing soil pollution by increasing its salinity making it imperfect for crop bearing and adversely affecting the microorganisms present in the soil, causing the soil to lose its fertility and resulting in the loss of minerals present in the soil, thus causing soil pollution and killing off more than just the intended pest. Other types of soil contamination typically arise from radioactive fallout, the rupture of underground storage tanks, percolation of contaminated surface water to subsurface strata, leaching of wastes from landfills or direct discharge of industrial wastes to the soil, unfavorable and harmful irrigation practices, improper septic system and management and maintenance, leakages from sanitary sewage, acid rain falling onto the soil, fuel leakages from automobiles, that get washed away due to rain and seep into the nearby soil and unhealthy waste management techniques, which are characterized by release of sewage into the large dumping grounds and nearby streams or rivers. Learn more.
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Chart: Dundee Securities | Click for source
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Humans
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Many common soil pollutants are carcinogenic causing humans who are exposed to these pollutants to be far more likely to develop cancer than those who are not. For example, regular exposure to benzene is known to cause leukemia in both children and adults and exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) is linked to liver cancer. Soil pollution can also cause neuromuscular blockage as well as depression of the central nervous system, headaches, nausea, fatigue, eye irritation and skin rash. Soil does not need to be highly contaminated to be harmful to humans. Soil that is not significantly polluted may still harm humans directly though bioaccumulation, which according to Pollution Issues, occurs when plants are grown in lightly polluted soil, which continuously absorb molecules of the pollutants. Since the plants cannot get rid of these molecules, they accumulate in the plant, causing higher amounts of pollution to exist in the plant than
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