Soil Pollution Causes

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Soil pollution occurs due to the presence of toxic chemicals in the soil that can adversely affect the natural soil environment. Soil pollution is said to occur when the levels of contaminants in the soil exceed the levels that should naturally be present. What causes soil pollution?
Soil pollution can be caused by man-made pollutants and natural pollutant. Man-made soil pollution usually caused by agricultural activities, construction activities, mining activities and waste disposal. Nowadays, a large amount of insecticides, pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers are used in agricultural activities. They are full of chemicals which cannot be broken down. They diffuse into the soil and absorbing the nitrogen compounds in the soil, reducing …show more content…

The chemicals spread through the air easily due to its smaller particle size. The accumulation of construction contaminants in the soil can persists over longer periods of time such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In addition, mining activities are the other causes of soil pollution. Mining activities are the extraction of minerals from the Earth. It involves the crushing and processing of raw materials such as heavy metals which emit toxic substances. As a result, the toxic substances will linger in the soil surface for a long period of time and making it unsuitable to use. Besides that, improper waste disposal is also one of the causes of man-made soil pollution. The industrial wastes which produced by industrial activities are discharged to the soil directly without disposing them in a …show more content…

It may alters plant metabolism and reducing crop yields as the natural nutrients present in it are losing from the soil, reducing the ability of the plants to take up nutrients and undergo photosynthesis. As a result, since the plants unable to grow properly, they cannot hold the soil which leading to soil erosion. If certain crops manage to grow under these conditions, they would be poisonous enough to cause serious health problems in people consuming them. Besides, trees and plants also may absorb the soil contaminants and pass them up to the food

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