SOIL POLLUTION
Dr Sharad Kumar
Assistant Professor
Department of Wildlife Sciences,
Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh
WHAT IS SOIL POLLUTION?
• Soil: upper layer of the Earth’s crust transformed by weathering
and physical/ chemical and biological processes
• Soil pollution: presence of a chemical or substance out of place
and/ or present at a higher-than-normal concentration that has
adverse effects on any non-targeted organism (FAO)
• Majority of pollutants have anthropogenic origins, some
contaminants can occur naturally
• International Soil Reference and Information Centre (ISRIC)
and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
estimated that 22 million hectares had been affected by soil
pollution
TYPE OF SOIL POLLUTION
• Based on nature of origin of pollutants- Point source pollution
and Diffuse pollution
Point source pollution
• Caused by a specific event or a series of events within a particular
area in which contaminants are released to the soil, and the
source and identity of the pollution is easily identified
• Example- former factory sites, inadequate waste and wastewater
disposal, uncontrolled landfills, excessive application of
agrochemicals, mining and smelting with poor environmental
standards
• Very common in urban areas
Diffuse Pollution
• Spread over very wide areas, accumulates in soil, and does not
have a single or easily identified source
• Occurs where emission, transformation and dilution of
contaminants in other media have occurred prior to their transfer to
soil
• Transport of pollutants via air-soil-water systems
• Include sources from nuclear power and weapons activities;
uncontrolled waste disposal and contaminated effluents released in
and near catchments; land application of sewage sludge; the
agricultural use of pesticides and fertilizers which also add heavy
metals, persistent organic pollutants, excess nutrients and
agrochemicals that are transported downstream by surface runoff;
flood events; atmospheric transport and deposition; soil erosion
SOURCES OF SOIL POLLUTANTS
• Natural or anthropogenic
Natural sources
• Several soil parent materials are natural sources of certain heavy
metals and other elements
• Natural events (volcanic eruptions or forest fires) cause soil
pollution when many toxic elements are released into the
environment.
• Arsenic (As) contamination is one of the major environmental
problems
• Natural sources of As include volcanic releases, and weathering
of As-containing minerals and ores
Anthropogenic sources
Potential
interrelated
pathways for soil-
subsurface chemical
contamination
Source: Yaron, Dror
and Berkowitz, 2012
Industrial activities
• Gaseous pollutants and radionuclides are released to the
atmosphere-finally to soil
• Heavy metals from anthropogenic activities are also frequent in
industrial sites and can arise from dusts and spillages of raw
materials, wastes, final product, fuel ash, and fires
• Salinization affects many soils which are close to certain
industrial activities
• Chlor-alkali, textiles, glass, rubber production, animal hide
processing and leather tanning, metal processing,
pharmaceuticals, oil and gas drilling, pigment manufacture,
ceramic manufacture, and soap and detergent production
Mining
• Had a major impact on soil, water and biota since ancient times
• Mining and smelting facilities release huge quantities of heavy
metals and other toxic elements
• Toxic mining wastes are stocked up in tailings-can be dispersed
by wind and water erosion, sometimes reaching agricultural soils
• Use of phosphate rocks, which are naturally rich in radioactivity,
in the production of fertilizers generates a by-product called
phosphogypsum
• Significant point-source soil pollution-oil and gas extraction
due to spills of crude oil and brines
Urban and transport infrastructures
• Development of infrastructure environmental degradation
• More evident negative effects- soil sealing and land consumption
• Entry of various soil pollutants in soil
• Despite its being a major threat, soil pollution from infrastructure
activities has received very minor consideration in terms of
planning and impact assessment
• Household chemicals such as detergents and personal care
products (PPCPs), also end up as sanitary sewage
• Use of DDT for control of vector-borne diseases such as malaria
has led to pollution of soils in urban and peri-urban areas
• Lead-based paint is pulverized into dust or small particles during
renovations or demolition and then enters the environment
• Plastics are also a major source of pollution
• Extremely persistent in the environment and they widely
accumulate in oceans and landfills, but also in soils where
producing factories are located
Waste and Sewage Generation and Disposal
• Municipal waste disposal in landfills and incineration
• Both release many pollutants their derivative products in soil
• Establishments that recycle lead batteries
• Use of sewage sludge, if not been pre-treated before its
application, release many pollutants such as heavy metals
• Improper use of wastewater can lead to the deposition of heavy
metals, salts, PPCPs and pathogens
Agriculture and livestock activities
• Different agricultural sources of soil pollutants include
agrochemical sources
• Excessive application of fertilizers and manure or inefficient use of
the main nutrients (N and P)
• Excessive fertilizer usage can lead to soil salinity, heavy metal
accumulation, water eutrophication and accumulation of nitrate
• Compost and animal residues are an important source of nutrients
• Despite their potential benefit for agriculture, there is sufficient
scientific evidence of the increase in heavy metals content,
pathogens, and veterinary antibiotics residues
IMPACTS OF SOIL POLLUTION
Contamination of food chain
Principal uptake pathways for the uptake of soil contaminants by plants
Source: https://www.fao.org/3/I9183EN/i9183en.pdf
Low crop productivity
• Excess heavy metals can impair plant metabolism and decrease
crop productivity
• Pressure on arable land and pose risks to food security
• Once metals enter plant tissues-reducing plant growth and causing
toxicity and finally plant death
• High levels of lead
lipid membrane and chlorophyll damage
alteration of photosynthetic processes and of the overall
growth of the plant
• Cadmium
Reduction of root, stem and leaf growth, decreasing net
photosynthesis and water use efficiency and altering nutrient
uptake
Health problems in humans
Possible exposure pathways of soil contamination in a residential
scenario, Source: EA, 2008
Short term effects
• Headaches, nausea, and vomiting
• Coughing, pain in the chest, and wheezing
• Irritation of the skin and the eyes
• Fatigue and weakness
Long-term effects
• Exposure to high levels of lead can result in permanent damage to
the nervous system. Children are particularly vulnerable to lead
• Depression of the CNS (Central Nervous System).
• Damage to vital organs such as the kidney and the liver
• Higher risk of developing cancer
WAYS TO CONTROL SOIL POLLUTION
1. Get a better understanding of the soil environment quality
2. Development of necessary legislation for soil pollution control
3. Proper management of agricultural land and adoption of organic
farming
4. Effective solid waste treatment
5. Ensure proper investigation of reclaimed land
6. Reducing chemical fertilizer and pesticide use
7. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle materials
8. Afforestation and reforestation
9. Awarenesses
SOIL POLLUTION
WHAT IS SOIL POLLUTION?
• Soil: upper layer of the Earth’s crust transformed by weathering
and physical/ chemical and biological processes
• Soil pollution: presence of a chemical or substance out of place
and/ or present at a higher-than-normal concentration that has
adverse effects on any non-targeted organism (FAO)
• Majority of pollutants have anthropogenic origins, some
contaminants can occur naturally
• International Soil Reference and Information Centre (ISRIC)
and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
estimated that 22 million hectares had been affected by soil
pollution
TYPE OF SOIL POLLUTION
• Based on nature of origin of pollutants- Point source pollution
and Diffuse pollution
Point source pollution
• Caused by a specific event or a series of events within a particular
area in which contaminants are released to the soil, and the
source and identity of the pollution is easily identified
• Example- former factory sites, inadequate waste and wastewater
disposal, uncontrolled landfills, excessive application of
agrochemicals, mining and smelting with poor environmental
standards
• Very common in urban areas
Diffuse Pollution
• Spread over very wide areas, accumulates in soil, and does not
have a single or easily identified source
• Occurs where emission, transformation and dilution of
contaminants in other media have occurred prior to their transfer to
soil
• Transport of pollutants via air-soil-water systems
• Include sources from nuclear power and weapons activities;
uncontrolled waste disposal and contaminated effluents released in
and near catchments; land application of sewage sludge; the
agricultural use of pesticides and fertilizers which also add heavy
metals, persistent organic pollutants, excess nutrients and
agrochemicals that are transported downstream by surface runoff;
flood events; atmospheric transport and deposition; soil erosion
SOURCES OF SOIL POLLUTANTS
• Natural or anthropogenic
Natural sources
• Several soil parent materials are natural sources of certain heavy
metals and other elements
• Natural events (volcanic eruptions or forest fires) cause soil
pollution when many toxic elements are released into the
environment.
• Arsenic (As) contamination is one of the major environmental
problems
• Natural sources of As include volcanic releases, and weathering
of As-containing minerals and ores
Anthropogenic sources
Potential
interrelated
pathways for soil-
subsurface chemical
contamination
Source: Yaron, Dror
and Berkowitz, 2012
Industrial activities
• Gaseous pollutants and radionuclides are released to the
atmosphere-finally to soil
• Heavy metals from anthropogenic activities are also frequent in
industrial sites and can arise from dusts and spillages of raw
materials, wastes, final product, fuel ash, and fires
• Salinization affects many soils which are close to certain
industrial activities
• Chlor-alkali, textiles, glass, rubber production, animal hide
processing and leather tanning, metal processing,
pharmaceuticals, oil and gas drilling, pigment manufacture,
ceramic manufacture, and soap and detergent production
Mining
• Had a major impact on soil, water and biota since ancient times
• Mining and smelting facilities release huge quantities of heavy
metals and other toxic elements
• Toxic mining wastes are stocked up in tailings-can be dispersed
by wind and water erosion, sometimes reaching agricultural soils
• Use of phosphate rocks, which are naturally rich in radioactivity,
in the production of fertilizers generates a by-product called
phosphogypsum
• Significant point-source soil pollution-oil and gas extraction
due to spills of crude oil and brines
Urban and transport infrastructures
• Development of infrastructure environmental degradation
• More evident negative effects- soil sealing and land consumption
• Entry of various soil pollutants in soil
• Despite its being a major threat, soil pollution from infrastructure
activities has received very minor consideration in terms of
planning and impact assessment
• Household chemicals such as detergents and personal care
products (PPCPs), also end up as sanitary sewage
• Use of DDT for control of vector-borne diseases such as malaria
has led to pollution of soils in urban and peri-urban areas
• Lead-based paint is pulverized into dust or small particles during
renovations or demolition and then enters the environment
• Plastics are also a major source of pollution
• Extremely persistent in the environment and they widely
accumulate in oceans and landfills, but also in soils where
producing factories are located
Waste and Sewage Generation and Disposal
• Municipal waste disposal in landfills and incineration
• Both release many pollutants their derivative products in soil
• Establishments that recycle lead batteries
• Use of sewage sludge, if not been pre-treated before its
application, release many pollutants such as heavy metals
• Improper use of wastewater can lead to the deposition of heavy
metals, salts, PPCPs and pathogens
Agriculture and livestock activities
• Different agricultural sources of soil pollutants include
agrochemical sources
• Excessive application of fertilizers and manure or inefficient use of
the main nutrients (N and P)
• Excessive fertilizer usage can lead to soil salinity, heavy metal
accumulation, water eutrophication and accumulation of nitrate
• Compost and animal residues are an important source of nutrients
• Despite their potential benefit for agriculture, there is sufficient
scientific evidence of the increase in heavy metals content,
pathogens, and veterinary antibiotics residues
IMPACTS OF SOIL POLLUTION
Contamination of food chain
Principal uptake pathways for the uptake of soil contaminants by plants
Source: https://www.fao.org/3/I9183EN/i9183en.pdf
Low crop productivity
• Excess heavy metals can impair plant metabolism and decrease
crop productivity
• Pressure on arable land and pose risks to food security
• Once metals enter plant tissues-reducing plant growth and causing
toxicity and finally plant death
• High levels of lead
lipid membrane and chlorophyll damage
alteration of photosynthetic processes and of the overall
growth of the plant
• Cadmium
Reduction of root, stem and leaf growth, decreasing net
photosynthesis and water use efficiency and altering nutrient
uptake
Health problems in humans
Possible exposure pathways of soil contamination in a residential
scenario, Source: EA, 2008
Short term effects
• Headaches, nausea, and vomiting
• Coughing, pain in the chest, and wheezing
• Irritation of the skin and the eyes
• Fatigue and weakness
Long-term effects
• Exposure to high levels of lead can result in permanent damage to
the nervous system. Children are particularly vulnerable to lead
• Depression of the CNS (Central Nervous System).
• Damage to vital organs such as the kidney and the liver
• Higher risk of developing cancer
WAYS TO CONTROL SOIL POLLUTION
1. Get a better understanding of the soil environment quality
2. Development of necessary legislation for soil pollution control
3. Proper management of agricultural land and adoption of organic
farming
4. Effective solid waste treatment
5. Ensure proper investigation of reclaimed land
6. Reducing chemical fertilizer and pesticide use
7. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle materials
8. Afforestation and reforestation
9. Awarenesses
THANK YOU
