Recently, the impact of man on nature has increased significantly, so there is a threat of depletion of certain resources. In addition, increased emissions of waste into nature. This also affected the soils, which are the most important component of the biosphere and determine many of the processes occurring in it. It is the soil cover that is the basis for human settlement, and therefore the effects of soil pollution should be prevented whenever possible.
Soil and its significance in human life
This is a natural formation that is of great importance to humans. Primarily as a source of food. In addition, the soil cover is involved in creating an optimally positive environment for life, recreation and work of people.
Thanks to the land resources of our planet, it is possible to provide the necessary foodstuffs to a population that is much larger in number than it lives on Earth now. Also, the soil is a regulator of the chemical composition of the hydrosphere and atmosphere.
Types of soil pollution
The consequences of soil pollution can be minimized, but for this it is necessary to know well what species and sources exist.
The main pollutants of the soil cover are: mineral fertilizers, toxic chemicals (pesticides), gas and smoke emissions into the atmosphere, industrial wastes, oil and oil products.
Pesticides are chemicals commonly used in agriculture to control weeds and pests. Accumulating in the soil, they can be transmitted along the food chain and cause serious diseases in animals and humans. In the world, pesticide production is constantly growing, which is extremely negative for health.
Mineral fertilizers can also cause soil contamination and its effects. This happens as a result of using them in unreasonable amounts, with losses in production or transportation.
Waste and industrial waste also lead to intensive soil pollution. Large areas of land are occupied by landfills, many of which are toxic.
Enormous damage to the normal functioning of soils is caused by gas and smoke emissions. Industrial enterprises emit pollutants (heavy metals), which are especially dangerous for people who can accumulate soil.
As a result of the imperfection of oil production technology, one of the most acute environmental problems in our country is the pollution of the upper layer of the lithosphere by oil and its products.
Magnitude of the problem
In our century of scientific and technological breakthrough, the negative impact of man on nature as a whole, and especially on the upper layer of the lithosphere, has significantly increased. From human intervention, soil formation factors and the nature of the land change.
The main effects of soil exposure are as follows:
- erosion;
- desertification;
- waterlogging;
- pollution.
Recently, the issue of pollution of the lithosphere has been particularly acute, in particular, attention should be paid to such problems as sources of soil pollution, consequences of pollution and solutions.
Sources
The main factors causing soil pollution are as follows:
- household enterprises and residential buildings (food waste, household garbage, feces, rubbish of public organizations);
- agriculture (pesticides, fertilizers);
- industrial enterprises (heavy metals);
- transport (exhaust gases deposited on the surface of the soil).
Effects
Pollution is considered to be the ingress of various kinds of waste, toxic substances, chemicals into it, which lead to an inevitable result. The consequences of soil pollution are inevitable and include: a change in the terrain, its structure, subsidence and movement of rocks, the activation of dangerous geological processes. All this extremely negatively affects the vital activity of microorganisms in the ground cover, fertility. The destruction of the ecosystem itself. The negative consequences of pollution of the lithosphere, no doubt, affect the health of the population, which is worsening with each generation.
Ways to solve the problem
Green spaces can play an important role in the process of soil restoration. If you create a solid green strip of hawthorn or maple along the freeway, a significant part of the exhaust gases will be absorbed by them. The most polluted areas can also be reserved for forest planting.
The effects of soil pollution can be reduced by starting to process waste. It will be useful to deal with land reclamation and introduce clear control over the use of mineral fertilizers. Pesticide contamination can be reduced by improving their composition and preventing piles in the soil cover. As an alternative to pesticides, it is likely to use predator insects, the so-called biological protection (these are ants, ground beetles, ladybugs). For construction should take land unsuitable for agriculture. If possible, oil should also be removed from the soil .
Colossal natural wealth is among the people of the Earth. This is the soil. The causes and consequences of soil pollution remain today one of the most pressing issues that specialists should closely address. At the moment, this problem is one of the most important tasks of mankind. It can be solved only if you approach the issue comprehensively, without missing out on trifles and without making indulgences.