Dirty Dirt

Claire Hennessey

Global History II Honors

Mr. Mastroianni

March 3, 2017
 Soil erosion is second only to population growth as the biggest environmental problem

the world faces, said David Pimentel, professor of ecology at Cornell. Yet, the problem which

is growing ever more critical, is being ignored because who gets excited about dirt? (Cornell).

When picturing pollution, many see smokestacks puffing black exhaust from factories or a lake

filled with plastic and murky water. While these depictions are correct, people often fail to

mention the eroded and lifeless soil. Erosion, being a major issue caused by the main issue, the

contamination of the earth, affects the lives of everyone and is frequently consigned to oblivion.

The drastic consequences of soil pollution must be brought to public attention to increase

prevention and remediation methods, improving not only the environment but human health, the

economy, and society as a whole.

Before society can work to improve methods of avoiding the destruction already created

by contaminants in the earth, it must dissect and understand what soil pollution is and what

activities cause it. Soil contamination is the presence of toxic chemicals, pollutants or

contaminants, in concentrations that exceed natural quantities and are of risk to human health

and the ecosystem (Soil). One of the leading causes of the earths deterioration is industrial

activity. Many realize the adverse effects factories have on the air and water, but society sheds

little light on the detrimental toll taken on the land. From the time of the Industrial Revolution,

the constant growth in manufacturing has destroyed natural habitats, leaving the earths fertility

at a point of no return (Industrial). Under the new President, the United States will see

aggressive cuts to environmental regulations and a possible termination of the Environmental

Protection Agency, allowing factories and mines not to disclose the information about the
hazardous materials they release (Valdmanis). Without environmental protections, the

industrialization of the world will maintain is path of destruction.

The mining industry abuses resources by disregarding the environment and the

tremendous effect they have on it. Mines dependent on extracting minerals from the earth have a

finite lifespan, where workers remove all of the nonrenewable resources. The extraction process,

whether physical or in situ, is damaging to the environment site. With mining comes hazardous

waste and emissions. Impetuous handling of such materials has more adverse effects than the

price paid to maintain a mining site correctly. Once the mine has been used to its full extent, the

time for cessation has arrived. While plans to ensure the surrounding areas safety exist, for

example, the sealing of the entrance to the abandoned mine, deserted sites cause a variety of

health-related hazards and environmental threats. An example of this being the accumulation of

dangerous and explosive gases in a sealed area with no air flow. Once permanent damage from

heavy metals has affected soil, it cannot naturally rehabilitate (Mining). Dangerous aspects of

mining sites put the environment at risk by creating pollution.

Agricultural activities are shifting to a focus on product production to increase profit,

compared to methods that provide safety to the environment. Modern farming, with the use of

pesticides, has developed shortcuts around natural means to increase production, as the demand

for food rises with the growing population. Pesticides that contains POPs, or Persistent Organic

Pollutants, are resistant to environmental degradation. When humans consume crops treated

with them, there are detrimental effects, such as cancer. Runoff filled with these fertilizers create

havoc in surrounding habitats, leading to pollution not just of the land, but of water sources and
air, through evaporation and acid rain (Industrial). While it seems logical that agricultural

methods would benefit the environment, risks taken to increase production have lasting impacts.

Improper waste disposal is not just an eyesore, but a conspicuous cause of pollution, as

humans add waste to the land that would otherwise not be there. Methane gas, one of the most

potent greenhouse gases causing global warming, is emitted from landfills. The United States

alone produces 243 million tons of waste for landfills each year. Many products in landfills do

not biodegrade quickly; recycling should be a priority. When products like batteries are not

disposed of correctly, the chemicals seep into the soil, producing long term effects (Land).

Similarly, erroneous treatment of radioactive waste impacts the environment and human health.

Products of nuclear fission have long half-lives, so they are hazardous and radioactive for

thousands of years. Areas in the vicinity of nuclear sites are at risk of damaged soil and its

health effects in humans (Rinkesh). Once people have understood the causes of pollution in the

earths soil, communities can identify affected areas and work toward improving the future.

The most recurrent effect contaminated soil has on the world is on the environment,

including air and water, animal and plant life, and the soil structure itself. The three broad types

of pollution, soil, water, and air, are all interconnected and influence each other routinely.

Contaminants that pollute the land can leak into groundwater and water bodies. Runoff creates

toxic environments that do not support life. Once in the soil, the chemicals are evaporated and

then precipitated through acid rain. Acid rain creates a vicious cycle of the contamination and

ruining of ecosystems (Moran). Polluted soil discharges volatile compounds into the

atmosphere, some of these include greenhouse gases. With more toxic contaminants comes a

higher level of foul gases emitted into the air. The negative effects do not stop there. These
greenhouse gases trap heat from the sun in the atmosphere, permanently altering earths climate,

known to all as global warming (Rinkesh). Soil pollutions connected relationship to other forms

of pollution, like air and water, influences the increase in their repercussions.

The accumulation of large amounts of harmful materials in soil and water cannot support

life and cause the destruction of entire ecosystems. Extinction is a major issue that comes with

pollution, as without human industrialization, these life forms would still be thriving on earth. If

the animals do not die from the poison, they will not be able to survive once all of the plants

have died from the infertile land. Along with death, animals may be forced to migrate, changing

the food chain and ecosystem cycle permanently. Soil pollution alters the plants metabolism,

lowering crop productivity. When farmers use fertilizers, the persistent compounds stay in the

plant until consumed by humans and animals. The toxic metals permanently change the health

of that organism and increase the risk of death. Another way crops become poisonous from

pollution is salinization. When occurring naturally in the soil, salt levels stay at a functional low.

Once chemicals that come with contaminants are part of the ground, the irrigation and

agricultural processes that discharge nitrate and phosphate deposits are skewed and significantly

increase the salt level of the earth. Increased salinity creates difficulties for the plants to absorb

moisture, and when consumed, the poison may cause severe health disorders (Rinkesh).

Pollution of the land affects every creature living on it, both plants and animals, and alters the

food chain of the ecosystem.

Altering the environment of the soil, specifically its pH level, results in permanent

changes to soil structure and fertility. The continuous pollution cycle of acid rain reduces soil

chemistry and nutrients, causing acidification, or the buildup of hydrogen cations, or protons, in
the ground reducing its pH. Inefficient use of nitrogen and ammonium based fertilizers create

these acidic conditions. A low pH reduces the soils ability to neutralize, leading to the death of

plants in this unfavorable habitat. To put pH levels in perspective, with an increased use of

fertilizers by 50%, the average pH in all of China has decreased by 0.5 unit in the last 20 years

(Moseman). Contamination also reduces the soils ability to grow plants because it denatures

active enzymes that maintain healthy soil activities. The essential natural minerals, like

magnesium and calcium, are drained by the pollution and the acidification it causes. With this

change in soil structure, beneficial bacteria, microorganisms, nutrients, and chemical processes

begin to deteriorate, diminishing the soils fertility.

Soil erosion is the most devastating and ultimately irreversible effect caused by pollution.

The top soil of agricultural land is stripped away, damaging the land, crops, and humans.

According to a Cornell University study, Around the world, soil is being swept and washed

away 10 to 40 times faster than it is being replenished, destroying cropland the size of Indiana

every year (Cornell). Eroded soil cannot store water and support plant growth, killing

ecosystems. Waterways are more prone to flooding from the 60% of soil that ends up in rivers

(Cornell). It is easy to see the destructive effects floods have on populations, but many do not

realize the reason these disasters occur. All causes of pollution are rooted to a disregard of the

environment and in turn, damage it permanently.

With the increased focused society has on health and medicine technology, understanding

origins human health issues caused by soil pollution is a key to uncovering solutions to global

problems. Health complications can develop in people living in areas with high levels of soil

contamination. Long-term exposure to pollutants changes the bodys genetic makeup, causing
congenital illnesses and chronic health problems (Rinkesh). One of the more direct ways

contaminants can enter the body is through eating crops grown in polluted farmland or animals

who ate those plants. Acute illnesses and premature death are due to bioaccumulation, or the

process in which an organism absorbs a harmful substance, at a rate faster than it can be lost by

catabolism and excretion, resulting in the build up of this contaminant. An example of this is

when high concentrations of lead and mercury are in the soil. In people who consume produce

grown here, there is an increased outcome of kidney and liver disorders, neurological disorders,

and noticeably slow brain development in children. Pollutants also enter the body when

breathing in dust that carried in wind erosion. This contaminated soil dust transports over 20

human infectious disease organisms, including anthrax and tuberculosis (Cornell). Common

symptoms of people affected by soil pollution include skin diseases, muscular blockage, and

central nervous system disorders. Once the causes of diseases related to pollution are

understood, medical professionals can lead the path to discovering treatments and cures.

Cancer, one of the worlds leading causes of death, is directly related to the pollution

created by human activity. Scientists have discovered that more than 70% of soil pollutants are

carcinogenic. Studies show that long-term exposure to benzene, a toxic, flammable hydrocarbon

byproduct of coal distillation, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), a coolant product used in

electrical machinery, are linked to the development of leukemia and liver cancer, respectively

(Madaan). These cases of soil causing cancer are highly evident in China, specifically the

cancer villages, or areas with soil and water contamination from surrounding chemical plants

and practically every other house contains someone dying of cancer or a type of respiratory

problem. According to Zhang Jianxin, a researcher with Hunan Planning Institute of Land and
Resources, From a historical perspective, we see a growing number of land pollution cases

associated with heavy metals in China over the past three decades (Moseman). China is the

worlds largest consumer of refined lead, used in battery production. Because of this, 10% of

farmland in China, or 100,000 of 1.22 million square kilometers, is officially polluted by heavy

metals like lead, mercury, and cancer-causing cadmium. They were deemed officially infected

because the levels of these metals go high above global safety standards. Chinese officials have

not reacted to reports of metal poisoning and illnesses by shutting down illegal, harmful

operations or enforcing waste regulations. Instead, the Chinese government imposes arbitrary

blood tests to keep a record of levels and encourages citizens to eat foods like apples, eggs, milk

and garlic (Heintz). This lack of responsibility the world feels for the effects of pollution will be

its undoing, as consequences like the spread of cancer will be ruinous.

Economic losses are a severe impact directly caused by contamination of crops. Plants

grown in soil polluted with chemicals such as lead, asbestos, and sulfur can cause poison levels

that are deemed unfit for human consumption. Companies are then unable to sell these products

to consumers; they must be discarded, causing an enormous financial loss. In China, 12 million

tons of polluted grains are disposed of annually, which costs farmers up to $2.6 billion (Madaan).

It is far more beneficial to farm without pesticides and poisons than attempt to speed production

and end up disposing of most crops. The economy reaps what was sown considerably through

the monetary effects of soil erosion caused by pollution. Estimations show that the productivity

losses from erosion cost the world $400 billion each year (Cornell). The money wasted on

damaged crops should, in turn, be put to use to repair the environment to secure a healthy and

safe earth for countless generations.

 With enhanced knowledge of the causes and effects of soil pollution, steps must be taken

to work toward preventing the worldwide continuing cycle of decline. A straightforward way

each person can make a difference in the pollution output is through recycling. This individual

choice has resulted in change, as in 2010, of the 250 million tons of trash thrown out of homes,

85 million were diverted from landfills. A record rate, removing the equivalent of emissions

from 33 million passenger cars (Dover). The green lifestyle saves money and benefits the

economy by preventing the costs of repairing adverse consequences of pollution.

Critics claim that pesticides are the only option for producing enough food for the

population. If the money spent on the pesticides and their disastrous effects transitions to

research for developing organic farming methods that improve techniques and natural growth

enhancements, the goal of feeding the world would be in humanitys reach. Techniques like

vertical farming are already being tested and enhanced to obtain the most benefits (Rinkesh). If

society focused on improving lifestyles for the interest of the environment, the achievement of a

green world is attainable.

Remediation methods are an important focus to mend the damage previously done to the

earth. There are many methods of restoration currently used and under development.

Bioremediation is the use of bacterium, or aerobic and anaerobic species, to consume and break

down hydrocarbons and other pollutants in soil. Once the microbes have successfully

demolished the contaminant, they die off, leaving no trace in the repaired ground. This method

is most prosperous in areas that maintain 70 degrees F with occasional rain and can be effective

in colder climates when the soil in insulated. The limitations of climate affect the usage of this

method, while scientists are always developing improvements to systems. Thermal soil
remediation is an additional method of repairing pollution damages by heating contaminated

material into the PTU, or primary treatment unit, to evaporate hydrocarbon impurities and water.

The polluted materials, treated at temperatures of 650 degrees F to 900 degrees F, are then

released into a cooling chamber when combined back with water, and the soil is tested and

recycled. These two methods are more expensive, ranging from thousands to millions of dollars

for treatments in year segments, than other options, but are more effectual in treating the soil. As

time and use increase, developments will improve the systems and consequently lower the cost

of treatment. Two additional techniques are air sparging, where large volumes of air are used to

force organic vapors outwards of contaminated soil, and encapsulation, which separates

pollutants. The latter method is the most basic of the four, as the soil is mixed with materials

like lime, cement, and concrete to filter contaminants (Kate). Being the least expensive, it also is

not necessarily the most efficient for curing pollution on a global scale. While none of the

remediation methods alone is a perfect solution, when used in combination and with evolving

technology, society can achieve rehabilitation of the earth.

Soil is not merely land (Leopold). Pollution of the Earth affects the makeup of the soil,

but it also affects every living creature that roams this planet. After learning the causes and

effects of contamination, one can take a step back, reflecting on their personal contribution

globally. Even with small decisions, like recycling, one can support the greater cause. Attention

needs to be drawn to this existing issue to understand its roots and their outcomes, so changes

can be made to rehabilitate the earth and improve prevention methods for future generations to

follow. The immediate gratification of actions will not come, but getting excited about dirt will

help fix one of the worlds biggest environmental dilemmas.