What are the 3 main causes of soil pollution?
- Agriculture (excessive/improper use of pesticides)
- Excessive industrial activity.
- Poor management or inefficient disposal of waste.
Soil pollution is when there are harmful changes in soil due to adding or dumping of unwanted, harmful pollutants, such as trash and toxic chemicals. As trash decomposes and chemicals seep into soil, this causes harmful short- and long-term effects to the environment and living organisms.
Common contaminants in urban soils include pesticides, petroleum products, radon, asbestos, lead, chromated copper arsenate and creosote. In urban areas, soil contamination is largely caused by human activities.
The main sources of soil pollution from industrial sources can be divided into the following categories: 1) mining and quarrying; 2) manufacture; 3) energy production; 4) construction facilities; and 5) transportation.
What Causes Erosion? Soil erosion occurs primarily when dirt is left exposed to strong winds, hard rains, and flowing water. In some cases, human activities, especially farming and land clearing, leave soil vulnerable to erosion.
- Air Pollution.
- Water Pollution.
- Soil Pollution.
- Noise Pollution.
Soil pollution causes a chain reaction. It alters soils' biodiversity, reduces soil organic matter and soils' capacity to act as a filter. It also contaminates the water stored in the soil and groundwater, and causes an imbalance of soil nutrients.
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 and paper mills, chemical fertilizers, oil refineries, sugar factories, tanneries, textiles, steel, distilleries, fertilizers, pesticides, coal ...
- Deforestation.
- Agriculture.
- Industry.
- Mining.
- Landfills and waste.
- Urbanization.
- Other.
Scientists attribute soil formation to the following factors: Parent material, climate, biota (organisms), topography and time.
What are 3 ways soil can be damaged or lost?
1) Sheet erosion by water; 2) Wind erosion; 3) Rill erosion – happens with heavy rains and usually creates smalls rills over hillsides; 4) Gully erosion – when water runoff removes soil along drainage lines.
The erosion potential of any area is determined by four principal factors: the characteristics of its soil, its vegetative cover, its topography and its climate.
Definition of Land or Soil Pollution
Land/soil pollution is the release of refuse and untreated wastes from agricultural and domestic activities and are exposed or dumped on the soil.
The majority of these pollutants are emitted through human activities like burning fossil fuels, vehicle exhaust fumes and emissions from agriculture and industry.
- Industrial waste. ...
- Deforestation. ...
- Excessive use of fertilisers and pesticides. ...
- Garbage pollution. ...
- Climate change. ...
- Loss of soil fertility. ...
- Impact on human health. ...
- Reforestation.
- Biological Agents. Biological agents work inside the soil to introduce manures and digested sludge (coming from the human, bird and animal excreta) into the soil.
- Agricultural Practices. ...
- Radioactive Pollutants. ...
- Urban Waste. ...
- Industrial Waste.
Soil pollution can be controlled by the following measures: By reducing the use of plastics, we can reduce soil pollution. By controlling the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, we can control soil pollution.
Soil pollution is mostly caused by chemical substances produced by human activity.
- The Burning of Fossil Fuels. ...
- Industrial Emission. ...
- Indoor Air Pollution. ...
- Wildfires. ...
- Microbial Decaying Process. ...
- Transportation. ...
- Open Burning of Garbage Waste.
Soil pollution may cause a variety of health problems, starting with headaches, nausea, fatigue, skin rash, eye irritation and potentially resulting in more serious conditions like neuromuscular blockage, kidney and liver damage and various forms of cancer.
What are the 4 main pollutants?
Ozone (O3) Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) Carbon monoxide (CO) Sulphur dioxide (SO2)
Rank | Country/Region | 2018 |
---|---|---|
1 | Bangladesh | 97.1 |
2 | Chad | - |
3 | Pakistan | 74.3 |
4 | Tajikistan | - |
- Pesticides. ...
- Mineral fertilizers. ...
- Organic fertilizers. ...
- Wastewater for irrigation. ...
- Agricultural plastic waste. ...
- Rural community waste.
- Use of pesticides should be minimized.
- Use of fertilizers should be judicious.
- Cropping techniques should be improved to prevent growth of weeds.
- Special pits should be selected for dumping wastes.
- Controlled grazing and forest management.
- Wind breaks and wind shield in areas exposed to wind erosin.