What are the causes and effects of soil pollution?

Answer 1

Some causes of soil pollution:

• Runoff from pollutants (paint, chemicals, rotting organic material) leaching out of landfill
• Polluted water discharged from factories
• Oil and petroleum leaks from vehicles washed off the road by the rain into the surrounding habitat
• Chemical fertilizer runoff from farms and crops
• Acid rain (fumes from factories mixing with rain)
• Sewage discharged into rivers instead of being treated properly
• Over application of pesticides and fertilizers
• Purposeful injection into groundwater as a disposal method
• Interconnections between aquifers during drilling (poor technique)
• Septic tank seepage
• Lagoon seepage
• Sanitary/hazardous landfill seepage
• Cemeteries
• Scrap yards (waste oil and chemical drainage)
• Leaks from sanitary sewers

Some effects of soil pollution:

• pollution runs off into rivers and kills the fish, plants and other aquatic life
• crops and fodder grown on polluted soil may pass the pollutants on to the consumers
• polluted soil may no longer grow crops and fodder
• Soil structure is damaged (clay ionic structure impaired)
• corrosion of foundations and pipelines
• impairs soil stability
• may release vapours and hydrocarbon into buildings and cellars
• may create toxic dusts
• may poison children playing in the area