Land Pollution Causes & Effects

Land pollution is the degradation of the surface of the lands on Earth through the misuse of land resources or the activities of human beings. Causes and sources of land pollution include man-made chemicals and alterations in the natural soil environment due to activities like mining.

Pesticides, Insecticides and Herbicides

• Farmers use pesticides to protect their crops from attack from insects, bacteria, fungi, rodents and viruses. They use herbicides to protect the plants from unwanted weeds that tend to compete with their crops for nutrients. Farmers used insecticides like dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and gammaxene widely after World War II to control insects on their crops. The problem is that insects soon developed resistance to these insecticides and it was discovered that they did not decompose easily. This led to an outright ban on their use in most Western countries. Pesticides like organophosphates, aldrin, malathion, furodan and dieldrin get into the soil where they are absorbed by the soil particles. When anything is planted in the soil, it will absorb the remnants of the pesticides, causing the people and animals who consume such produce to be adversely affected.

Solid Wastes

• Solid wastes are the waste that human beings produce as a result of their activities. They include domestic refuse and garbage from industrial, agricultural and commercial operations. Other sources of solid waste include the waste generated from mining operations. Some of the waste, such as organic solvents, batteries, oils and heavy metals from smelting industries, can leach into the soil and pollute the land by altering the biological and chemical properties of the soil. They can also leach into any body of water that is nearby, or the runoff from rainfall could carry the chemicals into the water and pollute it, too.

Deforestation

• Deforestation exposes the land to the elements and makes it more susceptible to the effects of erosion. Trees, shrubs and other plants act as barriers that protect the land from the ravages of erosion. When this barrier is removed, the land can be eroded by any flood. Some of the causes of deforestation include agricultural development, acid rain, urbanization and other human activities such as cutting trees down for the timber.

Effects of Land Pollution

• The effects of land pollution are many and far reaching because they affect all living organisms. Land pollution reduces the fertility of soil and causes a buildup of dangerous chemicals that can be ingested by people and animals, leading to sickness. It increases the chances of erosion and causes an imbalance in crop yield. Land pollutants can also leach into the groundwater and pollute the sources of drinking water. Pollutants like waste can release a foul smell and cause the release of noxious gases.