Major physical hazards found in the environment include:
- Toxins in foods
- Toxins in water
- Air pollutants
- Soil pollutants
- Water pollutants
In this post , we will discuss the soil pollutants in particular , their effects on the soil, plant development and human health.
Firstly, we should recognize that soil degradation can manifest through either erosion, pollution or acidification-all of which are either partially or greatly inflicted by human –oriented activities, whose effects lead to a decrease in the soil’s capacity to support plant life development to sustain human life.
Soil pollution
It involves the existence of chemical components or other materials on the soil, in elevated amounts than usual, enough to cause adverse health effects to associated organisms.
Soil pollution occurs from human activities that interfere with the underlying soil. Typical soil pollutants include: pesticides, toxic gases , combustible materials, heavy metals and associated compounds , radioactive materials ,biologically active substances, inorganic chemicals etc .
The Effects of soil pollution by heavy metals can lead to an interference within the food chain by causing undesirable heath effects to organisms involved in addition to decreasing yields especially when crops absorb high concentrations of the metals.
Microbial activity is disrupted due to high concentrations of metals and the other pollutants. Grazing animals may ingest any of the pollutants leading to high infection rates i.e diarrheoa incidences .
To control soil pollution by heavy metals, the use of high metal content fertilizers should be restricted or rather substituted with organic alternatives. Limit in the amount of heavy metal emissions by regulating industries and vehicle or by opting for alternative products that emit lesser quantities of heavy metals.
Domestic and industrial waste disposal should be controlled to minimize the other soil pollutants.
Soil erosion
It is the removal of the soil cover. It mainly occurs from human activities that increase the exposure to soil erosion agents i.e rain , wind, water run off etc . Farming practices such as the destruction of vegetation cover , overstocking, deforestation, the use of heavy machinery , mono-cropping are among the relevant influences to soil erosion.
Soil erosion effects:
- Reduced yields
- Poor quality crop production
- Interference with microbial activity
To manage soil erosion, measures such as crop rotation ,use of appropriate stocking levels, planting vegetation , limiting the use of heavy machinery , incorporating agro-forestry practices can be employed.
Soil acidification
This involves increasing acidity levels in soils than normal concentrations. Soil acidification is a natural process, and in fact most soils tend to be acidic. Nevertheless, human activities i.e. intensive agricultural processes are associated with increased pH levels due to the leaching of nitrogen from fertilizers during the planting season. When acidic levels increase to high levels then they lead to soil degradation.
In general, the application of excess quantities of chemical fertilizers leads to increased acid deposition in soils.
Soil acidification interferes with nutrient availability, particularly nutrients such as phosphorus and molybdenum that are essential for plant development. As a result, stunted plant growth and reduced crop yields may be observed.The crops fail to develop properly and may experience the yellowing of leaves.
To control soil acidication, utilize adequate amounts of chemical fertilizers or instead prioritize the use of organic matter.
Liming or applying alkali fertilizer can be used as an immediate short-term solution to counter the acidity.