Please write a long essay 700-750 words on soil pollution. I am in class 6
Answers
Answered by
2
Soil contamination or soil pollution as part of land degradation is caused by the presence of xenobiotic (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 substance. 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]
In North America and Western Europe the extent of contaminated land is best known, with many of countries in these areas having a legal framework to identify and deal with this environmental problem. Developing countries tend to be less tightly regulated despite some of them having undergone significant industrialization.
CausesEdit
Soil pollution can be caused by the following (non-exhaustive list)
Oil spills
Mining and activities by other heavy industries
Accidental spills as may happen during activities, etc.
Corrosion of underground storage tanks(including piping used to transmit the contents)
Acid rain
Intensive farming
Agrochemicals, such as pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers
Industrial accidents
Road debris
Drainage of contaminated surface waterinto the soil
Ammunitions, chemical agents, and other agents of war
Waste disposal
Oil and fuel dumping
Nuclear wastes
Direct discharge of industrial wastes to the soil
Discharge of sewage
Landfill and illegal dumping
Coal ash
Electronic waste
The most common chemicals involved are petroleum hydrocarbons, solvents, pesticides, lead, and other heavy metals.
Any activity that leads to other forms of soil degradation (erosion, compaction, etc.) may indirectly worsen the contamination effects in that soil remediation becomes more tedious.
Historical deposition of coal ash used for residential, commercial, and industrial heating, as well as for industrial processes such as ore smelting, were a common source of contamination in areas that were industrialized before about 1960. Coal naturally concentrates lead and zinc during its formation, as well as other heavy metals to a lesser degree. When the coal is burned, most of these metals become concentrated in the ash (the principal exception being mercury). Coal ash and slag may contain sufficient lead to qualify as a "characteristic hazardous waste", defined in the USA as containing more than 5 mg/l of extractable lead using the TCLP procedure. In addition to lead, coal ash typically contains variable but significant concentrations of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs; e.g., benzo(a)anthracene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, benzo(a)pyrene, indeno(cd)pyrene, phenanthrene, anthracene, and others). These PAHs are known human carcinogens and the acceptable concentrations of them in soil are typically around 1 mg/kg. Coal ash and slag can be recognised by the presence of off-white grains in soil, gray heterogeneous soil, or (coal slag) bubbly, vesicular pebble-sized grains.
Treated sewage sludge, known in the industry as biosolids, has become controversial as a "fertilizer". As it is the byproduct of sewage treatment, it generally contains more contaminants such as organisms, pesticides, and heavy metals than other soil.[3]
In the European Union, the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive allows sewage sludge to be sprayed onto land. The volume is expected to double to 185,000 tons of dry solids in 2005. This has good agricultural properties due to the high nitrogen and phosphatecontent. In 1990/1991, 13% wet weight was sprayed onto 0.13% of the land; however, this is expected to rise 15 fold by 2005.[needs update]Advocates[who?] say there is a need to control this so that pathogenic microorganisms do not get into water courses and to ensure that there is no accumulation of heavy metals in the top soil.[4]
In North America and Western Europe the extent of contaminated land is best known, with many of countries in these areas having a legal framework to identify and deal with this environmental problem. Developing countries tend to be less tightly regulated despite some of them having undergone significant industrialization.
CausesEdit
Soil pollution can be caused by the following (non-exhaustive list)
Oil spills
Mining and activities by other heavy industries
Accidental spills as may happen during activities, etc.
Corrosion of underground storage tanks(including piping used to transmit the contents)
Acid rain
Intensive farming
Agrochemicals, such as pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers
Industrial accidents
Road debris
Drainage of contaminated surface waterinto the soil
Ammunitions, chemical agents, and other agents of war
Waste disposal
Oil and fuel dumping
Nuclear wastes
Direct discharge of industrial wastes to the soil
Discharge of sewage
Landfill and illegal dumping
Coal ash
Electronic waste
The most common chemicals involved are petroleum hydrocarbons, solvents, pesticides, lead, and other heavy metals.
Any activity that leads to other forms of soil degradation (erosion, compaction, etc.) may indirectly worsen the contamination effects in that soil remediation becomes more tedious.
Historical deposition of coal ash used for residential, commercial, and industrial heating, as well as for industrial processes such as ore smelting, were a common source of contamination in areas that were industrialized before about 1960. Coal naturally concentrates lead and zinc during its formation, as well as other heavy metals to a lesser degree. When the coal is burned, most of these metals become concentrated in the ash (the principal exception being mercury). Coal ash and slag may contain sufficient lead to qualify as a "characteristic hazardous waste", defined in the USA as containing more than 5 mg/l of extractable lead using the TCLP procedure. In addition to lead, coal ash typically contains variable but significant concentrations of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs; e.g., benzo(a)anthracene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, benzo(a)pyrene, indeno(cd)pyrene, phenanthrene, anthracene, and others). These PAHs are known human carcinogens and the acceptable concentrations of them in soil are typically around 1 mg/kg. Coal ash and slag can be recognised by the presence of off-white grains in soil, gray heterogeneous soil, or (coal slag) bubbly, vesicular pebble-sized grains.
Treated sewage sludge, known in the industry as biosolids, has become controversial as a "fertilizer". As it is the byproduct of sewage treatment, it generally contains more contaminants such as organisms, pesticides, and heavy metals than other soil.[3]
In the European Union, the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive allows sewage sludge to be sprayed onto land. The volume is expected to double to 185,000 tons of dry solids in 2005. This has good agricultural properties due to the high nitrogen and phosphatecontent. In 1990/1991, 13% wet weight was sprayed onto 0.13% of the land; however, this is expected to rise 15 fold by 2005.[needs update]Advocates[who?] say there is a need to control this so that pathogenic microorganisms do not get into water courses and to ensure that there is no accumulation of heavy metals in the top soil.[4]
Answered by
2
What is Soil Pollution?
Any undesirable change in the physical, chemical or biological properties of the soil, which is harmful to environment, living organisms and plants, is called ‘soil pollution’. It adversely affects human nutrition and crop production and productivity, and the quality and utility of soil. Cadmium, chromium, copper, pesticide, chemical fertilizer, weed, toxic gases etc. are major soil pollutants. For example, if love pesticides are used while farming, then it affects the plants and the soil apart from killing the insects.
The Problem of Soil Pollution
The problem of soil pollution arises due to mixing of toxic and polluted materials in the soil. Illegal dumping is the biggest reason for soil pollution, which adversely affects the quality of soil and the health of people living on it. Soil pollution also spreads through polluted water absorbed by the soil. Chemical compost used in agricultural work, litter and dirt also badly pollute the soil. The soil is also polluted by the mineral oil spread on the land accidently. Pollutants present in the air also contribute to polluting the soil. Through the rain water, pollutants present in the air descend on the ground which ultimately results into polluting the soil.Soil is an important natural resource on Earth that is essential to run the life of humankind and animals by producing vegetation, grains and other natural substances required for food and living. Fertile soil on Earth is essential for the production of crops which is essential for the food of all living beings. Fertility of the land is severely affected due to the inclusion of toxic elements in the soil due to chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and industrial effluents.
Let us take into the accounts some statistics. Between the years 1999 to 2000, the farmers worldwide used 18.07 million tonnes of chemical fertilizers and the use of chemical fertilizers is still going on uninterruptedly. These toxic chemicals pollute the soil and ultimately enter the food chain and infect us with dangerous diseases. Even the newborn babies and infants take birth with many types of physical inefficiency due to this phenomenon.
Types of Soil Pollution
There are many types of natural and human-born soil pollution:
Land pollution from domestic and industrial solid waste
Electronic goods, broken furniture, junk papers, polythene bags, plastic cans, bottles, wastewater, toxic waste from the hospital etc. are examples of solid waste which pollute the soil. Most of this litter is non biodegradable. These wastes affect the soil structure by being blocked in it for long periods. Because these solid wastes do not decay easily, they lie on landfill sites for thousands of years and keep polluting the soil and the environment continuously. In addition to the soil, humans and animals living around these landfill sites are greatly harmed.
Household waste, industrial waste etc. contain residues of harmful toxic inorganic and organic chemicals. In these residues, radiation elements such as strontium, cadmium, uranium, ladders are found, which affect the vitality and fertility of the land. Fly ash is a major source of pollution surrounding the industrial area.
There are chemicals or other types of waste in industries, which are dumped at some place. So much so that soil becomes polluted and trees and plants do not even grow in such a part.
Soil pollution by chemical substances
The use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers has increased for cultivating more crops and these pollutants are making the soil poisonous and in many places the soil has become dead due to excessive use of it.
Producers of fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides, pharmaceuticals produce a lot of solid and liquid waste. Due to leaks from pipes and gutters, pollutants also go into the soil and spread pollution.
In the chemical and nuclear power plants, a large amount of waste is released continuously and due to the absence of proper arrangements for their storage and disposal, these substances pollute the soil
Any undesirable change in the physical, chemical or biological properties of the soil, which is harmful to environment, living organisms and plants, is called ‘soil pollution’. It adversely affects human nutrition and crop production and productivity, and the quality and utility of soil. Cadmium, chromium, copper, pesticide, chemical fertilizer, weed, toxic gases etc. are major soil pollutants. For example, if love pesticides are used while farming, then it affects the plants and the soil apart from killing the insects.
The Problem of Soil Pollution
The problem of soil pollution arises due to mixing of toxic and polluted materials in the soil. Illegal dumping is the biggest reason for soil pollution, which adversely affects the quality of soil and the health of people living on it. Soil pollution also spreads through polluted water absorbed by the soil. Chemical compost used in agricultural work, litter and dirt also badly pollute the soil. The soil is also polluted by the mineral oil spread on the land accidently. Pollutants present in the air also contribute to polluting the soil. Through the rain water, pollutants present in the air descend on the ground which ultimately results into polluting the soil.Soil is an important natural resource on Earth that is essential to run the life of humankind and animals by producing vegetation, grains and other natural substances required for food and living. Fertile soil on Earth is essential for the production of crops which is essential for the food of all living beings. Fertility of the land is severely affected due to the inclusion of toxic elements in the soil due to chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and industrial effluents.
Let us take into the accounts some statistics. Between the years 1999 to 2000, the farmers worldwide used 18.07 million tonnes of chemical fertilizers and the use of chemical fertilizers is still going on uninterruptedly. These toxic chemicals pollute the soil and ultimately enter the food chain and infect us with dangerous diseases. Even the newborn babies and infants take birth with many types of physical inefficiency due to this phenomenon.
Types of Soil Pollution
There are many types of natural and human-born soil pollution:
Land pollution from domestic and industrial solid waste
Electronic goods, broken furniture, junk papers, polythene bags, plastic cans, bottles, wastewater, toxic waste from the hospital etc. are examples of solid waste which pollute the soil. Most of this litter is non biodegradable. These wastes affect the soil structure by being blocked in it for long periods. Because these solid wastes do not decay easily, they lie on landfill sites for thousands of years and keep polluting the soil and the environment continuously. In addition to the soil, humans and animals living around these landfill sites are greatly harmed.
Household waste, industrial waste etc. contain residues of harmful toxic inorganic and organic chemicals. In these residues, radiation elements such as strontium, cadmium, uranium, ladders are found, which affect the vitality and fertility of the land. Fly ash is a major source of pollution surrounding the industrial area.
There are chemicals or other types of waste in industries, which are dumped at some place. So much so that soil becomes polluted and trees and plants do not even grow in such a part.
Soil pollution by chemical substances
The use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers has increased for cultivating more crops and these pollutants are making the soil poisonous and in many places the soil has become dead due to excessive use of it.
Producers of fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides, pharmaceuticals produce a lot of solid and liquid waste. Due to leaks from pipes and gutters, pollutants also go into the soil and spread pollution.
In the chemical and nuclear power plants, a large amount of waste is released continuously and due to the absence of proper arrangements for their storage and disposal, these substances pollute the soil
Similar questions