Land Pollution

Land pollution

Land pollution is the degradation of Earth's land surfaces often caused by human activities and their misuse of land resources. It occurs when waste is not disposed properly. Haphazard disposal of urban and industrial wastes, exploitation of minerals, and improper use of soil by inadequate agricultural practices are a few factors. Urbanization and industrialization are major causes of land pollution. The Industrial Revolution set a series of events into motion which destroyed natural habitats and polluted the environment, causing diseases in both humans and other species of animals.

]Increased mechanization

The increase in the concentration of population in cities, along with the internal combustion engine, led to the increased number of roads and all the infra structure that goes with them. Roads cause visual, noise, light, air and water pollution, in addition to land pollution. The visual and noise areas are obvious, however light pollution is becoming more widely recognized as a problem. From outer space, large cities can be picked out at night by the glow of their lighting, so city dwellers seldom experience total darkness.

As the demand for food has grown very high, there is an increase in field size and mechanization. The increase in field size makes it economically viable for the farmer but results in loss of habitat and shelter for wildlife, as hedgerows and copses disappear. When crops are harvested, the naked soil is left open to wind after the heavy machinery has compacted it. Another consequence of more intensive agriculture is the move to monoculture. This is unnatural, it depletes the soil of nutrients, allows diseases and pests to spread and, in short, brings into play the use of chemical substances foreign to the environment.

A pesticide is a substance or mixture of substances used to kill a pest. A pesticide may be a chemical substance, biological agent (such as a virus or bacteria), antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest. Pests include insects, plant pathogens, weeds, mollusks, birds, mammals, fish, nematodes (roundworms) and microbes that compete with humans for food, destroy property, spread or are a vector for disease or cause a nuisance. Although there are benefits to the use of pesticides, there are also drawbacks, such as potential toxicity to humans and other Pesticides are used to control organisms which are considered harmful. For example, they are used to kill mosquitoes that can transmit many potentially deadly diseases like west Nile virus, yellow fever, and malaria disease. They can also kill bees, wasps or ants that can cause allergic reactions. Insecticides can protect animals from illnesses that can be caused by parasites such as fleas.Pesticides can prevent sickness in humans that could be caused by moldy food or diseased produce.

Herbicides

Herbicides are used to kill weeds, especially on pavements and railways. They are similar to auxins and most are biodegradable by soil bacteria. However one group derived from trinitrotoluene (2:4 D and 2:4:5 T) have the impurity dioxin, which is very toxic and causes fatality even in low concentrations. It also causes spontaneous abortions, hemorrhaging and cancer.Agent Orange(50% 2:4:5 T) was used as a defoliant in Vietnam. Eleven million gallons were used and children born since then to American soldiers who served in this conflict, have shown increased physical and mental disabilities compared to the rest of the population. It affects the head of the sperm and the chromosomes inside it. Another herbicide, much loved by murder story writers, is Paraquat. It is highly toxic but it rapidly degrades in soil due to the action of bacteria and does not kill soil fauna. Mining

Modern mining projects leave behind disrupted communities, damages landscapes, and polluted water. Mining also affects ground and surface waters, the aquatic life, vegetation, soils, animals, and the human health. Acid mine drainage can cause damage to streams which in return can kill aquatic life. The vast variety of toxic chemicals released by mining activities can harm animals and aquatic life as well as their habitat. The average mine disturbs over a thousand acres of land.

Burial

Burial is the technique used by Jews, Christians, Muslims and other religions with Abrahamic influence, to dispose of the corpse of dead humans and animals. This process leads to regular soil erosion due to loosening of soil. Also, the decomposing fluids act as poisonous herbicides, pesticides and may even lead to epidemics in surrounding areas. It leads to soil pollution, soil erosion and even water pollution.

Construction

Construction often puts sediments in rivers and bodies of water. By doing this, natural water filters are damaged. Natural water filters help break down many pollutants before they reach other water bodies. Some harmful chemicals that may run off with water and sediments from construction sites are oils, debris, and paint. This can cause damage to soil, aquatic life, and promote hazardous chemicals to get into drinking water.

Increased waste disposal

In Scotland in 1993, 14 million tons of waste was produced. 100,000 tons was special waste and 260,000 tons was controlled waste from other parts of Britain and abroad. 45% of the special waste was in liquid form and 18% was asbestos - radioactive waste was not included. Of the controlled waste, 48% came from the demolition of buildings, 22% from industry, 17% from households and 13% from business - only 3% were recycled. 90% of controlled waste was buried in landfill sites and produced 2 million tons of methane gas. 1.5% was burned in incinerators and 1.5% were exported to be disposed of or recycled. There are 748 disposal sites in Scotland. There are very few vacant or derelict land sites in the north east of Scotland, as there are few traditional heavy industries or coal/mineral extraction sites. However some areas are contaminated by aromatic hydrocarbons (500 cubic meters).

The Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive allows sewage sludge to be sprayed onto land and the volume is expected to double to 185,000 tons of dry solids in 2005. This has good agricultural properties due to the high nitrogen and phosphate content. In 1990/1991, 13% wet weight was sprayed onto 0.13% of the land , however this is expected to rise 15 fold by 2005. There is a need to control this so that pathogenic microorganisms do not get into water courses and to ensure that there is no accumulation of heavy metals in the top soil.

Impacts

A large percentage of material that is dumped into waters not only destroys habitats for animals but for humans as well. Below is a list of some impacts of land pollution. . Smothered habitats, where aquatic animals feed and live, thus driving them out of a home. . Reduced oxygen levels from decomposition of organic material dumped from drains. . Reduced light penetration in the water column, from sediments and excessive algal growth, leading to oxygen depleted water. *Massively changed flow regimes, large fast flows can scour existing habitat and wash species downstream. . Increased human health risks, from syringes, broken glass and cans washing onto creek banks and beaches. . Reduced aesthetic appeal of areas from litter strewn on banks and beaches, thus reducing recreation and tourist appeal. . Acid rain damages trees and other plants.

What are the Consequences of Land Pollution?

Land pollution can affect wildlife, plants, and humans in a number of ways, such as:

 Cause problems in the respiratory system  Cause problems on the skin  Lead to birth defects  Cause various kinds of cancers

The toxic materials that pollute the soil can get into the human body directly by:

 Coming into contact with the skin  Being washed into water sources like reservoirs and rivers  Eating fruits and vegetables that have been grown in polluted soil  Breathing in polluted dust or particles

How can Land Pollution be Prevented?

 People should be educated and made aware about the harmful effects of littering  Items used for domestic purposes ought to be reused or recycled  Personal litter should be disposed properly  Organic waste matter should be disposed in areas that are far away from residential places  Inorganic matter such as paper, plastic, glass and metals should be reclaimed and then recycled A landfill

A landfill, also known as a dump or rubbish dump (and historically as a midden), is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment. Historically, landfills have been the most common methods of organised waste disposal and remain so in many places around the world.

Landfills may include internal waste disposal sites (where a producer of waste carries out their own waste disposal at the place of production) as well as sites used by many producers. Many landfills are also used for other waste management purposes, such as the temporary storage, consolidation and transfer, or processing of waste material (sorting, treatment, or recycling).

A landfill also may refer to ground that has been filled in with soil and rocks instead of waste materials, so that it can be used for a specific purpose, such as for building houses. Unless they are stabilized, these areas may experience severe shaking or liquefaction of the ground in a large earthquake.

Operation

Typically, in non hazardous waste landfills, in order to meet predefined specifications, techniques are applied by which the wastes are:

1. Confined to as small an area as possible. 2. Compacted to reduce their volume. 3. Covered (usually daily) with layers of soil.

During landfill operations the waste collection vehicles are weighed at a weighbridge on arrival and their load is inspected for wastes that do not accord with the landfill’s waste acceptance criteria. Afterwards, the waste collection vehicles use the existing road network on their way to the tipping face or working front where they unload their load. After loads are deposited, compactors or dozers are used to spread and compact the waste on the working face. Before leaving the landfill boundaries, the waste collection vehicles pass through the wheel cleaning facility. If necessary, they return to the weighbridge in order to be weighed without their load. Through the weighing process, the daily incoming waste tonnage can be calculated and listed in databases. In addition to trucks, some landfills may be equipped to handle railroad containers. The use of 'rail-haul' permits landfills to be located at more remote sites, without the problems associated with many truck trips.

Trash dump communities

In many developing countries around the world, communities exist in and around landfills[2]. Residents of these communities, such as La Chureca in Nicaragua, often live in conditions of extreme poverty and use the landfills as a source of food and income. Scavengers work in the garbage in search of recyclables and other valuables. Landfill gas

Gases are produced in landfills due to the anaerobic digestion by microbes on any organic matter. This gas can be collected and flared off or used to generate electricity in a gas fired power plant. Landfill gas monitoring can be carried out to alert for the presence of a build-up of gasses to a harmful level. Alternatives

See also: List of solid waste treatment technologies

The obvious alternatives to landfills are waste reduction and recycling strategies. Secondary to not creating waste, there are various alternatives to landfills. In the late 20th century, alternative methods of waste disposal to landfill and incineration have begun to gain acceptance. Anaerobic digestion, composting, mechanical biological treatment, pyrolysis and plasma arc gasification have all began to establish themselves in the market.

In recent years, some countries, such as Germany, Austria, Belgium, and Switzerland, have banned the disposal of untreated waste in landfills. In these countries, only the ashes from incineration or the stabilized output of mechanical biological treatment plants may still be deposited.