Soil pollution

In Senegal, a pastoralist herds his cattle past a mound of garbage. 2 May 2018, Rome - Soil pollution poses a worrisome threat to agricultural productivity, food safety, and human health, but far too little is known about the scale and severity of that threat, warns a new FAO report released today at the start of a Industrialization, war, mining and the intensification of agriculture have all left a legacy of soil contamination across the planet, while the growth of cities has seen soil used as a sink for ever greater amounts of municipal waste, says "Soil pollution affects the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the health of our ecosystems," said FAO Deputy Director-General Maria Helen Semedo at the start of the symposium. "The potential of soils to cope with pollution is limited; the prevention of soil pollution should be a top priority worldwide," she added. But even though agricultural intensification, industrial output, and urbanization continue at a rapid pace, no systematic assessment of the status of soil pollution at global level has ever been undertaken, FAO's new report notes. Studies conducted so far have largely been limited to developed economies, so there are massive information gaps regarding the full nature and extent of the problem, according to FAO's survey of existing scientific literature. What little we do know is cause for concern, the report adds. For example, in Australia, some 80,000 sites are now estimated to suffer from soi...

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The world’s soils, which provide 95% of humanity’s food, are “under great pressure”, according to Soils are also the largest active store of carbon, after the oceans, and therefore crucial in fighting the climate crisis. But the report said industrial pollution, mining, farming and poor waste management are poisoning soils, with the “polluter pays” principle absent in many countries. Pollutants include metals, cyanides, DDT and other pesticides, and long-lasting organic chemicals such as PCBs, the report said, making food and water unsafe, cutting the productivity of fields and harming wildlife. However, it said most releases of pollutants that end up in soils are not easily quantified and therefore the true damage remains highly uncertain. The global production of industrial chemicals each year has doubled since 2000 to 2.3bn tonnes, the report said, and is projected to nearly double again by 2030, meaning soil pollution is expected to increase further. The UN also warns of emerging contaminants including pharmaceuticals, antimicrobials that lead to drug-resistant bacteria, and plastics. “Global soils are under great pressure,” said Qu Dongyu, head of the UN food and agriculture organisation. “This thin crust of the Earth’s surface, the soil, supports all terrestrial life and is involved in many key ecosystem services that are essential to the environment and to human health and wellbeing.” Inger Andersen, head of the UN environment programme (Unep), said: “Soil pollution...

• » • » • » • » • » Soil Pollution Facts and Prevention Tips Soil pollution happens when soil contaminants exceed a certain threshold amount that could pose a risk to human health and ecosystem or are simply above the natural background levels. Soil pollution can affect humans through inhalation, direct skin contact, the consumption of poisoned vegetables and fruits grown on contaminated ground, as well as the use of or contact with the poisoned groundwater below the soil that circulates back on the ground. Exposure to the toxic compounds generated as a result of soil pollution can lead to Over time, what may have started as tiny amounts can reach considerable concentrations depending on environmental conditions (including soil types) and degradability of the released contaminant, and resulting in soil poisoning. For example, metals are not degradable and may accumulate and concentrate in surface soils over time. However, not all metals behave similarly. A few metals can infiltrate into deeper soils, especially if precipitation is high (arsenic is one such example), while many other metals will stick to surface soils and become adsorbed by soil particles. If the potential for repeated releases of non-degradable or less degradable contaminants (such as metals, PCBs, perchlorate) exists in a certain area, for instance, close to your home, it is always prudent to evaluate and test the soil for pollution through accumulation over longer time. The sources of soil pollution are ...

• Review Article • 23 June 2020 Metal contamination and bioremediation of agricultural soils for food safety and sustainability • ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-0511-5806 • • • • • • • • • … • ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-3401-0912 Show authors Nature Reviews Earth & Environment volume 1, pages 366–381 ( 2020) Agricultural soil is a non-renewable natural resource that requires careful stewardship in order to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. However, industrial and agricultural activity is often detrimental to soil health and can distribute heavy metal(loid)s into the soil environment, with harmful effects on human and ecosystem health. In this Review, we examine processes that can lead to the contamination of agricultural land with heavy metal(loid)s, which range from mine tailings runoff entering local irrigation channels to the atmospheric deposition of incinerator and coal-fired power-plant emissions. We discuss the relationship between heavy metal(loid) biogeochemical transformations in the soil and their bioavailability. We then review two biological solutions for remediation of contaminated agricultural land, plant-based remediation and microbial bioremediation, which offer cost-effective and sustainable alternatives to traditional physical or chemical remediation technologies. Finally, we discuss how integrating these innovative technologies with profitable and sustainable land use could lead to green and sustainable remediation strategies, and c...