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Soil pollution

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Like water, soilis a critical resource for the survival of humanity. Soil touches every aspect of human life from health to the socialwelfare of any given community. However, this significance appears to be hugely disregardedas can be judged from the extent to which soil has been polluted in every part of the world. It is estimated that about a third of world soil is contaminated mainly due to human activities that put pressure on the soil as a natural resource. The two articles by Thomas Hammond and Durkee et al. present arguments and facts about the extent of soil pollution, with Hammond reviewing the general state of pollution across the world. Durkee et al. on the other hand focus on soil pollution by two heavy metals including arsenic and lead in selected Washington childcare centers. Durkee et al. conduct an empirical study on the extent to which Pb and As from Lead Arsenate insecticides used to treat the Yakima Valley Orchards affects the children, and the risk thesetoxicelements pose to the locals. Hammond presents a similarobservation on how the pesticides and other agricultural products affect the soil and eventually human health. The comparison and contrast between the two viewpointsare presented in this paper.

COMPARING THE TWO ARTICLES

Durkee et al. observe that the current state of soil pollution in Yakima Valley dates back between the years 1900 and 1960 when fruit orchards in the region were being sprayed with Lead Arsenate pesticides. This was before the use of chlorinated pesticides such as DDT were recognized as safer to the environment as compared to the LA. Due to the development of resistance in the target insects, the frequency and dosage of Aswere increased,and this augmented the extent of soil contamination in the region. The authorsobserve that the LA compound was used across the USA and the world, but the study is focused on Yakima Valley Washington. Despite the location of use of these chemicals, Hammond observes that the pollutants have been reported to be in regions that are not necessarily where they were applied. A good example given in this article is the presence of pesticides in Polar Regions, where they apparently were not used. Durkee et al. (pp. 9) reflect this idea by indicating that the smelters located on the west side of Cascade Mountains have also contributed to soil Pb contamination, not only in their locations but also in the surrounding areas as broad as 1,000 square miles, through wind erosion. This implies that the region of application is not exclusivelyimportant, and soil contamination is a universal problem.

It is observed that the levels of Pb and Asare commonly recorded at 25 to 35 times higher in treated soils than the soils not treated with LA. However, the levels of As are mostly lower than Pb due to the higher rate of leaching of As, thus leaving the soil more concentrated with Pb. The implication is that the more porous soils record lower amounts of As than the less porous, and also that the Pb/As ratiodecreases with soil depth (pp. 4). Despite the effects of these pollutants dating centuries ago, Hammond observes that the extent to which these soil pollution withheavy metals from pesticides goes is not exactlyfathomable since there is little known about the exposure. Nevertheless, Hammond states that the cost/benefit analysis of pesticides, fungicides and other productsis easy to undertake as it relates to the food production (paragraph 9).

Durkeeet al. observe that the primary route through which the children in the childcare centers in Yakima Valley are exposed to these pollutants is through ingestion of dust and soil (pp. 5). On the other hand, Hammond observes that these contaminants reach the human being through the food chain. A good example given in the article is the presence of compounds of neonicotinoidsin 75 percent of globally sampled honey (paragraph 7). Durkee et al. state that the levels of contamination in the soil and indoors dust exceed the limits that are set by Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry’s (ATSDR). “Soil concentrations ranged from <2.5 to 103 mg/kg and 1.2 to 594 mg/kg, for As and Pb, respectively, and house dust concentrations ranged from 2.3 to 49 mg/kg and 15 to 890 mg/kg for As and Pb, respectively” (pp. 5).

As documented in a wide range of literature materials, Pb and Asare especially harmful to children leading to developmental and neurotoxic problems. In addition, As is a well-documented carcinogen that affects not only the children but adults according to Durkeeet al. (pp. 6). Hammond reports that according to The World Health Organization“3 million people are hospitalized due to pesticide poisoning every year, resulting in a quarter of a million premature deaths” (p. 3). However, in the case of Washington, Durkee et al. (pp. 6) report that there lacks sufficient data to inform on whether the exposure to the two primary soil contaminants has direct health impacts. Both Hammond and Durkeeet al. reflect the importance of population growth in soil pollution. In paragraph 2, Hammond states that population growth is critical in the increased pressure on land use, and thus soil pollution.

According to Food and Agriculture Organization as quoted by Hammond (p. 2), food production in the next few decades will double to meet the global demand occasioned by an increase in the global population. On the other hand, Durkee et al. (pp. 6) observe that “as populations increased in Central Washington, homes, schools, and businesses were built on land that previously was an orchard.”Being an area that is known for agricultural production and especially the highest producer of apples in the USA, Yakima Valley in Washington makes one of the best regions to collect data on how soil contamination with Pb and As affects the environment, and most importantly the health of children in the childcare facilities in the region, since the risk of poisoning is higher in children than in adults.According to Durkee et al. (pp. 34), “the regular exposure of As in soil for a child at 37 mg/kg or greater could result in adverse health effects, infrequent exposure of 162 mg/kg or above for a child could result in death, and regular exposure for an adult at 175 mg/kg could result in adverse health effects.”

The study by Durkee et al. reflects what Hammond talks about but on a global platform. Land use today is important as the soil contaminants, especially the heavy metals remain in the soil over generations. Hammond (p. 10) suggests the measures that have been adopted by the European which include integrated pest control policies, as opposed to excessive use of pesticides. Organic farming has been hailed as the best practice to preserve the overall health of our soil, not only to increase productivity but also increase its sustainability over generations to come. Durkee et al. (pp.46) suggest a chemical approach that will minimize lead poisoning, where phosphorus can be used to bind it and prevent its introduction in the food chain. Moreover, both articles insist on prevention of all forms of exposure including ingestion that is most common, either directly or indirectly, and offering public education on soil pollution and its effects on health and the future of humanity.

CONCLUSION

Both authors present the facts of soil pollution from two different levels, with Hammond giving the readers a global dimension, whereas Durkee et al. present a localized study. However, there exist striking similarities on the various aspects of soil pollution discussed in both articles. One example is how soil pollution is passed on from one geographic region to another, whichdoes not necessarily have direct contact with the pollutant. The authors provide varyingrecommendations on measures that can be adopted to minimize the existing contamination, and also to prevent future contamination to promote soil sustainability. The health impacts on both articles are irrefutable with lead poisoning among children being a common phenomenon that affects neurological development. Both articles point to the significance of developing sound policies that will promote soil preservation. Agricultural practices are necessary,butthe authors suggest that soil preservation measures should go beyond agriculture to managing population growth since it is the majoraspect that pile pressure on land.

Work Cited