Although perhaps less known than plastic pollution or marine pollution, soil pollution is one of the biggest problems we have to deal with today and in the immediate future. This form of pollution affects the Earth in its depths, altering its chemical, physical and biological balance, and causing serious knock-on consequences.
Thinking about the problem ofsoil pollutionalmost immediately images of plastic bottles, plates and glasses abandoned on the street or in the middle of a beautiful forest come to mind. Or perhaps we could think of the use of pesticides and harmful substances in the agricultural sector. In reality, humans also pollute the land in many other ways, often with very serious consequences for our planet.
Technically speaking, soil pollution is defined as a process of alteration of the delicate balance chemical-physical-biological alteration of the soil, an alteration that is largely determined by human activities.
This happens, for example, when we pour chemical substances, synthetic or even of natural origin, onto the ground, elements that can cause damage not only to the soil, but also to the living organisms that populate it.
In this article we want to find out what the exact causes and consequences of soil pollution are, and what are the remedies to effectively contain this huge problem.
What is soil pollution?
Per “soil pollution” refers to an alteration of anthropogenic origin of the natural balance of the soil, a degradation process that can lead to serious consequencescompromising the lives of numerous creatures, plants and animals.
Although less well known than plastic pollution, this form of soil depletion is widespread in every corner of the Earth, and causes serious consequences for the planet, such as increased soil erosion, landslides and even the introduction of dangerous substances into the food chain.
How does man pollute the soil?
Among the major causes of the progressive contamination of the Earth are the excessive global population increase and the Industrial Revolutionwhich has led to a very rapid process of urbanization and the use of increasingly polluting technologies, together with the wild exploitation of natural resources.
The causes of soil pollution also include: poor waste management. Only in the last few decades have the concept of “recycling” and even more so that of “reusing” become part of our daily habits. Nonetheless, waste management continues to be a sore point, both in our homes and globally.
Added to this are the crimes committed by the eco-mafiawhich bury hazardous waste in a completely illegal manner, in natural environments, damaging crops and water resources themselves, with often dramatic consequences for everyone.
What causes soil pollution?
As we were saying, when we think of soil pollution, we immediately think of the tons of garbage that invade even the spaces that should be uncontaminated. This is not the only way in which we humans pollute the earth. But then, what causes soil pollution?
The main causes of this form of pollution are:
- Abandonment of waste of all kinds, solid, but also liquid or gaseous: which includes the expired drugsbatteries and materials that can contaminate the subsoil and groundwater.
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Wastewater, such as that used for household cleaning or that from agricultural and industrial processes.
- Fertilizers and plant protection products
- Hydrocarbons present in asphalt, but also in petroleum, benzene, methane, butane and other compounds
- Dioxins: Highly toxic chemicals that are produced by human activities such as waste incineration or industrial processes. These substances are dangerous to both humans and animals.
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Heavy metals, whose presence in the soil is mostly linked to the industrial sector.
- Radioactive waste: this does not concern “only” the waste released during dramatic nuclear accidents, but also that which is legally released into the environment, in compliance with certain limits established by law.
Soil pollution: consequences
Why is soil pollution dangerous for human health and for the health of the Planet? As you can easily imagine, soil pollution does not have consequences only from a merely “aesthetic” point of view (solid waste pollution), but it can have much more profound and serious consequences.
Altering the delicate balance of the soil by introducing substances with devastating effects means destroying the foundations and the home of many plants and microorganisms, with chain reactionswhich have repercussions on animals and humans.
With our harmful and polluting activities we are damaging our own home. The one and only one we have available.
Furthermore, soil pollution greatly increases the risk of erosion and landslides, and leads to the introduction of pollutants into the food chain and aquifers. Translation: we risk drinking contaminated water and bring harmful substances to our plates, with clearly serious consequences for human health.
How to reduce the problem?
Ma How can soil pollution be reduced?? The key word, also in this case, is one and simple: prevention.
Making human activities more sustainable, from industrial to agricultural, to transport systems and waste management, is an essential first step to improving the health of the Earth.
For this to be truly possible, we need to adopt a more sustainable waste management, more laws to protect the environment are needed and it is essential to undertake actions to reclamation and redevelopment of the territories polluted, with forest reforestation projects and less use of fertilizers and pollutants on the land.
Sources
Source: www.greenstyle.it
