causes of land pollution

Land pollution, whether it is a barren space where nothing can grow but a few weeds or a site that harbors garbage and debris, like old tires, gas cans and plastic bags is an aesthetic drain. 

Studies consistently show the health benefits of enjoying nature at its finest, with its lush growth, clean air and water renewing world-weary urbanites . The health-promoting practice of drinking in nature in Japan is a cornerstone of healing therapies in Japan and South Korea, where it is known as “forest bathing” .

Conversely, while not documented, no one would dispute that the effect of seeing barren or polluted land is depressing. But there are even more serious problems how land pollution affects the environment.                                                                                                             This has further consequences for us as part of the web of life. The web has been broken when the biodiversity that enables life has been destroyed. Where there are no plants, there is no oxygen-generating mechanism (photosynthesis), no food or habitat for wildlife, amphibians, insects, and probably few, if any microorganisms to aerate, detoxify and regenerate the soil.                                                                                                                    Soil that is filled with toxic chemicals will not sustain life and poses a health risk to children who might play there. 

Prior to being banned in 1977 due to its adverse effects on humans and wildlife and long-term persistence in the environment, PCBS  were widely used in industrial coatings and insulation materials for transformers as well as hydraulic fluids, fluorescent lights and various consumer goods. They were disposed of not only in landfills, but through illegal dumping  and by burning. 

The ash and particles from burning fell to the earth and were absorbed by the soil. Today, almost all soil has at least small amounts of PCB .

Children playing in areas of PCBs can absorb the toxins through their skin. And studies support evidence of their carcinogenic effects as well as various other negative immune, reproductive, neurological and endocrine effects .                                                                        Toxic chemicals can leach into the soil and reach the water table below, often a source of drinking water for the nearby community.

When it rains, a soil without plants to hold it in place will erode and the chemicals it contains on its surface and within the soil itself will runoff and pollute rivers and streams the water empties into, or bays and oceans, either directly or via tributaries. 

The toxic chemicals can lodge in the ground sediment of the stream, adversely affecting the aquatic life that sustains itself by sheltering and feeding there. The toxic chemicals absorbed via ingestion or skin absorption make their way up the food chain as they are stored in the tissue of the marine life and magnified as larger fish eat more of the tinier prey, so that the meal can be quite toxic by the time the fish makes it to our dinner plate.

It is not just direct pollution of toxic chemicals that can cause these problems. Nor is the problem confined to abandoned lots or illegal dumpsites.                                                           Land pollution is a major problem around the world and is caused by a variety of factors. Some of main causes of soil pollution include deforestation and consequent erosion, agriculture, industry, mining, landfills and illegal dumping of waste as well as urbanization and construction.

Let’s have a look at these activities in detail to see how exactly pollution of land resources happens when they take place.

Deforestation

In the Amazon rain forest in Brazil, an area the size of a football field is clear-cut by loggers every second [9].  The removal of plant cover not only eliminates wildlife habitats and food for wildlife, but it also degrades the soil by leaving it barren and without the roots of plants to hold it in place, vulnerable to erosion. 

Obviously, a rain forest gets a lot of rain, heavy rain and without a forest canopy to buffer the downpours and without ground cover to hold the soil intact, the rich soil of the forest floor is easily washed away.  Along with the topsoil go the nutrients necessary to regenerate growth.                                                                                                                                            It is estimated that eighty percent of land animals and plants live in forests. Removal of even a portion of the canopy changes the environment of the forest as the canopy blocks the harmful sunlight and keeps in heat at night. Many species cannot adapt to these severe changes in temperature and many species do not survive the destruction of their habitat.

Loggers are not the only ones responsible for the rapid deforestation of the earth.  Land developers capitalizing on urban sprawl cut down forests, as does the agricultural industry in order to increase the amount of land for growing crops. 

In fact, agriculture has been found to be the direct cause if 80 percent of deforestation worldwide [ Much of this agricultural land is required to grow crops for animal feed, primarily cattle for the beef industry. The land is also used for cattle grazing 

Agriculture

The world population increase and increased demand for a food supply is causing forests and grasslands to be converted to farmland.  Natural vegetation has deep roots that hold the soil in its place.  Many of the replacement plants, like cotton, coffee, wheat and soybeans do not have deep roots and allow soil erosion.  This means that flooding is worsened as the land no longer has the ability to absorb excess rainfall . It also allows for easy runoff fertilizers and other applied chemicals.                                                                                            Farmers routinely apply highy toxic fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides,herbicides and insecticides. directly on to the crops and land.  What is not sprayed or directly drift on to the land, enters the soil through the plant’s roots and via the carcasses of the target insects and organisms and debris of the dead weeds.  The contamination destroys the healthy organisms responsible for generating new vegetative growth.