250
immediate remediation. Such estimations are not easily available for other countries
because the countries neither have capacity/capability or it is not a priority.
Many nations do have detailed soil monitoring programme to measure soil
quality, but industrial and urban area are hardly monitored.
Soils vary considerably with respect to chemical and physical properties across
the globe that are significant to human health, since parent material, climate, organisms, topography as well as time will lead to soils with different chemical and physical properties.
Soil properties will affect the water-holding capability and chemical reactions
are likely to occur in soil. These factors will decide what happens to contaminants
in soils.
Some key points with respect to the effects of soil contamination on health (VanCamp et al. 2004) are as follows:
• Soil pollution from point sources is unintentional. It occurs due to insignificant
but continual losses/emissions or handling spills or accidents.
• Consumer behaviour as well as the industrial sector is causative to the raise in the
number of potential sources of contamination.
• In Central as well as Eastern Europe, numerous problems arise from past
activities as well as poor management practices. Problem areas include former
abandoned industrial facilities, as well as storage sites (Andersen 2000).
Soil can enter our bodies via inhalation and the foods we eat and through the
skin. Children are very likely to consume soil while playing, while adults may consume soil by eating fruits/vegetables with soil attached. When consumed, some
chemicals are absorbed into the body and bloodstream, whereas some chemicals are
disintegrated to some extent and others may remain in the gut. While in the gut they
may not result in adverse health impact, unless these chemicals have direct toxicity
on the gut lining.
Working with soil and rocks (Das et al. 1998) releases particles which when
inhaled would affect health of workers and others nearby. Particles may stay in the
lungs, and pollutants might be absorbed into the bloodstream.
Contaminants in soil can enter food chain. Biomagnifications at different levels
of food chain can end up in multiplication of concentration of toxic contaminants.
Cadmium enters agricultural soils due to air pollution and from application of
phosphate fertilizers as well as sewage sludge. Re-suspension of dust in heavily
contaminated areas can cause a considerable crop contamination as well as human
exposure via ingestion as well as inhalation (WHO/UNECE 2006).
Lead exposure to children in the early stages of their development is connected
to a decrease in intelligence. Studies propose that intelligent quotient is reduced by
at least 1–3 points for each 10 μg/dl of blood lead (Canfield et al. 2003; Chen et al.
2005; Morgan 2013). This small effect on many individuals could be a significant
burden to the society, with reduced overall intellectual performance and resulting
economic losses.
12 Restoration
immediate remediation. Such estimations are not easily available for other countries
because the countries neither have capacity/capability or it is not a priority.
Many nations do have detailed soil monitoring programme to measure soil
quality, but industrial and urban area are hardly monitored.
Soils vary considerably with respect to chemical and physical properties across
the globe that are significant to human health, since parent material, climate, organisms, topography as well as time will lead to soils with different chemical and physical properties.
Soil properties will affect the water-holding capability and chemical reactions
are likely to occur in soil. These factors will decide what happens to contaminants
in soils.
Some key points with respect to the effects of soil contamination on health (VanCamp et al. 2004) are as follows:
• Soil pollution from point sources is unintentional. It occurs due to insignificant
but continual losses/emissions or handling spills or accidents.
• Consumer behaviour as well as the industrial sector is causative to the raise in the
number of potential sources of contamination.
• In Central as well as Eastern Europe, numerous problems arise from past
activities as well as poor management practices. Problem areas include former
abandoned industrial facilities, as well as storage sites (Andersen 2000).
Soil can enter our bodies via inhalation and the foods we eat and through the
skin. Children are very likely to consume soil while playing, while adults may consume soil by eating fruits/vegetables with soil attached. When consumed, some
chemicals are absorbed into the body and bloodstream, whereas some chemicals are
disintegrated to some extent and others may remain in the gut. While in the gut they
may not result in adverse health impact, unless these chemicals have direct toxicity
on the gut lining.
Working with soil and rocks (Das et al. 1998) releases particles which when
inhaled would affect health of workers and others nearby. Particles may stay in the
lungs, and pollutants might be absorbed into the bloodstream.
Contaminants in soil can enter food chain. Biomagnifications at different levels
of food chain can end up in multiplication of concentration of toxic contaminants.
Cadmium enters agricultural soils due to air pollution and from application of
phosphate fertilizers as well as sewage sludge. Re-suspension of dust in heavily
contaminated areas can cause a considerable crop contamination as well as human
exposure via ingestion as well as inhalation (WHO/UNECE 2006).
Lead exposure to children in the early stages of their development is connected
to a decrease in intelligence. Studies propose that intelligent quotient is reduced by
at least 1–3 points for each 10 μg/dl of blood lead (Canfield et al. 2003; Chen et al.
2005; Morgan 2013). This small effect on many individuals could be a significant
burden to the society, with reduced overall intellectual performance and resulting
economic losses.
12 Restoration