need writing essay
NE 111 02
03/08/2018
Soil pollution is the addition of substances that alter the various aspects of soils such as chemical content and structure to levels that are toxic. Every region of the earth has experienced some sort of soil pollution with human activity being the major cause of this pollution. The effects of soil pollution are immeasurable as pollution on land contributes to both water and air pollution through agents such as water erosion and wind. Being the richest form of earth, it is important that any further pollution be halted to ensure that the future generations of both human, plants and animals have harmonious habitat to live on. Many cross-cutting human factors contribute negatively to the unsustainable use of land. Some of these aspects include irresponsible dumping, agriculture, and population increase that contributes to the depletion of resources such as forests. In this paper, the facts on soil pollution concerning the pollutants, the effects and general trends shall be highlighted.
AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES
Agriculture is one of the major soil pollution activities. Farming was an integral part of civilization. The gradual growth of human population compelled man to seek alternative methods of producing foods as opposed to hunting and gathering that the early man relied on. However, population growth has taken an upward trajectory with the rapid increase being registered across the world. The implication is that human beings are further compelled to adopt measures that will keep on increasing food production to sustain the growing demand. This leads to the use of the most effective pesticides, farming patterns, and hormonal treatment among other practices. Food production increase is recorded,but these practices are unsustainable, in the sense that they deplete the quality of the most critical component of farming, and that is the soil.
Chemical fertilizers that are mainly made of nitrates, phosphates,and sulfates. These components are acidic and they lower the pH of the soil. The effects of these chemicals are not only felt on land but also in water bodies where they contribute to the proliferation of waterborne plants,and this aspect has far-reaching effects on the aquatic animals (Bouzayani, Fethi, et al. pp. 5037). Pesticides and weedicides are other chemicals that overly used in the modern world, with stronger and poisonous versions being produced to deal with resistant organisms.These chemicals contaminate the soil not only in the agricultural land but also in their areas of production where spillage and improper disposal leads to soil poisoning. The compounds accumulate in the ground or washed in the water bodies find their ways into the food chain and end up being consumed by humans leading to thedevelopment of health concerns. Excessive land tillage with the aim of maximizing land productivitycontributes to soil erosion, one of the most severe soil pollution issues in the modern world. The soil is deposited in the water bodiesleading to further pollution.
EXTENT OF SOIL POLLUTION
According to the United Nation Environment, a third of global soil is degraded meaning that it is not being used sustainably and its productivity, not only limited to agriculture continues to demean. Despite this degradation, theFood and Agriculture Association estimates that food production across the world is expected to increase by 50 percent in mid-centurywith humanbeings trying to meet the nutritional demand occasioned by rapid population growth. Organic agriculture will be one of the factors that will contribute to this increase in food productivity,butthe use of chemicals discussed in the previous section will play a more significant role (Hammond, UNE).
The USA is one of the most polluted countries in the world as far as soil is concerned. The WHO reports that more than half of the solid waste products in the USA are dumped in open landfills. This amounts to about 110 million tons of solid waste in open land,and only a third of the municipal solid waste is recycled each annually. Most of this waste comes from residential areas,but the trend is gradually changing with more electronic wastes coming from industrial regions. According to Bouzayaniet al. (pp. 5039), soil pollution contributes to loss of an estimated 25 billion tons of the topsoil that is suitable for crop production and conservation. Pérez-Maldonado, Iván, et al. (pp. 341)observe that 2.5 centimeters of topsoil may take up to 500 years to regenerate, but the rate of degradation supersedes its regeneration by about 17 times. This indicates that the current problems with soil pollution will only get worse if protection measures are not set in place.
EFFECTS OF SOIL POLLUTION
Human health may be the most critical effect that soil pollution may have. The World Health Organization estimates that about 250,000 deaths recorded every year result from pesticides related cause only. Approximately 3 million people are hospitalized every year due to the same,and this implies that soil pollution is a significant factor in the worldwide disease burden. Some of the most common effects of soil pollution on human beings are organ damages. The heavy metals may find their way into human directly or indirectly. Either way, these materials contribute to neurological problems of children since most lead to brain development issues. Moreover, most of the soil pollutants are carcinogenic. This implies that they can cause different types of cancers, with those exposed being at a higher risk according to the US Environmental Protection Agency, with the most common being leukemia in both children and adults caused by benzene (Etemadifaret al. pp. 296)
Besides the effects on human health, these pollutants contribute to vasteconomic effectswith most of them being yet to be felt according to Pérez-Maldonado et al.(pp. 340).XU et al. (pp. 62)suggest that the future impacts of soil pollution may supersede what the modern generation experiences due to population increase coupled with unsustainable land management practices. Today, both direct and indirect economic effects are felt. XU, Qiu-tong, et al. (pp. 63)observe that in China, food grown in regions whose soil is heavily contaminated with heavy metals experience huge direct losses with about 12 million tons of polluted grains being disposed of annually. This is a hugeloss to the farmers,and it also contributes to food insecurity that in turn will add to further soil exploitation in a vicious cycle.
CONCLUSION
Soil pollution is extremely harmful to almost every aspect of human beings, health being the most critical. There are several measures that the world should adopt to minimize and to some extent reverse soil pollution for both contemporary and future generations. Practicing organic agriculture and watching population growth are just but some of the effectivelong term solutions. The short term solutions would be to increase the rate at which solid wastes are recycled to minimize their effects on soil and the environment at large. In general, sustainable land development and farming practices should be persistently advocated for through public education on the effects of pollution on human life.
Work Cited
Bouzayani, Fethi, et al. "Soil Contamination by Heavy Metals in Landfills: Measurements from an Unlined Leachate Storage Basin." Environmental Monitoring & Assessment, vol. 186, no. 8, Aug. 2014, pp. 5033-5040. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s10661-014-3757-y.
Durkee, Jenna, et al. "Legacy Lead Arsenate Soil Contamination at Childcare Centers in the Yakima Valley, Central Washington, USA." Chemosphere, 2017, p. 1126. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2016.10.094.
Etemadifar, M., et al. "Soil Heavy Metals Are Associated with the Distribution of Multiple Sclerosis in Isfahan, Iran." ActaNeurologicaScandinavica, vol. 134, no. 4, Oct. 2016, pp. 292-299. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/ane.12543.
Hammond, T. Tackling the growing challenge of soil pollution. UN Environment. Web. 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2018; https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/story/tackling-growing-challenge-soil-pollution
Pérez-Maldonado, Iván, et al. "Human Health Risks Assessment Associated with Polychlorinated Biphenyls (Pcbs) in Soil from Different Contaminated Areas of Mexico." Bulletin of Environmental Contamination & Toxicology, vol. 99, no. 3, Sept. 2017, pp. 338-343. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s00128-017-2148-9.
XU, Qiu-tong, et al. "Effects of Soil Veterinary Antibiotics Pollution on Rice Growth." Journal of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Vol 33, Iss1 ,Pp 60-65 (2016), no. 1, 2016, p. 60. EBSCOhost, doi:10.13254/j.jare.2015.0133.