Land Pollution Health Issues

From plastic food wraps to printer paper, most of our household goods contain synthetic chemical compounds. The human body can manage exposure to those compounds in measured doses. But when plastic containers, tires, particle board and other items find their way en masse into landfills or the countryside, large amounts of synthetic chemicals can work their way into surrounding soil, creating land pollution that can affect groundwater and food crops. Pesticides, sewage and mining are other sources of land pollution and pose a variety of health concerns.

Cancer

• Benzenes, found in discarded plastics, foam food containers and printer paper, can cause tumors of the brain, liver, stomach and lung, as well as leukemia. Pesticides that leach into the soil and affect groundwater and fruits and vegetables can contribute to the development of breast cancer. Synthetic cleaning solvents contain chemicals linked to liver, lung and kidney cancers. Tires, food containers and pesticides containing nitrosamines have also been linked to cancers, as have plastic food wraps and packing materials with vinyl chloride, a chemical that could be behind some liver, brain and lung tumors.

Birth Defects

• Phthalates in plastic food wraps have caused toxicity in laboratory-animal fetuses, particularly in the lungs. Dioxins, used in pesticides and until recently deployed to coat rural dirt roads to reduce airborne dust, have yielded genetic and fetal mutations in lab animals. High doses of ethanol, an alcohol product found in some glues, can cause fetal damage and developmental delays. The polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, in flame-resistant rugs, clothes and sofas can damage DNA and force fetal death. Industrial solvents in paints and glues have been connected to birth defects of the brain and skeleton.

Central Nervous System

• Lead dust from old strip-mining operations or from landfill garbage can cause mental retardation if inhaled in significant amounts. Several common industrial chemicals can also cause damage to the brain and peripheral nerves, with symptoms including behavioral changes, headaches, nausea, memory loss, nerve-transmission problems, blindness, tremors and loss of fine motor control. Exposure to acetone, found in adhesives, and carbon disulfide, contained in paints and glues, can precede neurological symptoms, as can methanol, an ingredient in cement and ink.

Liver and Kidney Problems

• Cadmium, a heavy metal, laces waste from industrial operations and active mines. Extensive cadmium exposure can lead to liver and kidney dysfunction and digestive troubles, including diarrhea. Damage to the liver, to the kidneys and to the body's ability to produce digestive enzymes can result from exposure to high amounts of the chloroform in solvents, and heavy ethanol exposure can lead to cirrhosis of the liver. In large amounts, styrene, more commonly known by the brand name Styrofoam, can affect production of liver enzymes.

Immune Reactions

• An array of land-based pollutants can generate immune responses. Reactions including hives and skin rashes, asthma, wheezing and coughing have come from exposure to synthetic resins in copy-machine paper. Allergic reactions have also been traced to high amounts of the plastic-softening chemicals in food packaging, and to formaldehyde, an ingredient in foam insulation, particleboard and fabrics. Compounds in flame-resistant fabrics and in fungicides can suppress immune function. Hydrazine, contained in herbicides, pesticides, textiles and plastics, has been linked to the autoimmune disease lupus erythematosus.