Negative consequences for all humanity that result from soil contamination. Soil pollution and depletion: how to preserve what is given by nature itself

The Earth's soil cover is the most important component of the Earth's biosphere. It is the soil shell that determines many of the processes occurring in the biosphere. The most important importance of soils is the accumulation of organic matter, various chemical elements, and energy. Soil cover functions as a biological absorber, destroyer and neutralizer of various pollutants. If this link of the biosphere is destroyed, then the existing functioning of the biosphere will be irreversibly disrupted. That is why it is extremely important to study the global biochemical significance of the soil cover, its current state and changes under the influence of anthropogenic activities.

The main sources of pollution are:

1) Residential buildings and household enterprises. Among the pollutants, household waste, food waste, feces, construction waste, waste from heating systems, and worn-out household items predominate; garbage from public institutions - hospitals, canteens, hotels, shops, etc. Together with feces, pathogenic bacteria, helminth eggs and other harmful organisms that enter the human body through food often enter the soil. Fecal residues may contain such representatives of pathogenic microflora as pathogens of typhoid, dysentery, tuberculosis, polio, etc. The rate of death of different microorganisms in the soil is not the same. Some pathogenic bacteria can persist for a long time and even multiply in soil and soil. These include the causative agents of tetanus (up to 12 years - note from the site), gas gangrene, anthrax, botulism and some other microbes. Soil is one of the important factors in the transmission of helminth eggs, thereby determining the possibility of the spread of a number of helminth infections. Some helminths - geohelminths (roundworms, whipworms, hookworms, storhylids, trichostrongylids, etc.) go through one of the stages of their development in the soil and can remain viable in it for a long time. For example, ascaris eggs can remain viable in the soil in the conditions of central Russia - up to 7-8 years, in Central Asia - up to 15 years; Whipworm eggs – from 1 to 3 years.

2) Industrial enterprises. Solid and liquid industrial waste constantly contains certain substances that can have a toxic effect on living organisms and their communities. For example, waste from the metallurgical industry usually contains salts of non-ferrous and heavy metals. The mechanical engineering industry releases cyanide, arsenic and beryllium compounds into the environment. The production of plastics and artificial hair produces waste benzene and phenol. Wastes from the pulp and paper industry are typically phenols, methanol,
turpentine, still remains.

3) Thermal power engineering. In addition to the formation of a mass of slag when burning coal, thermal power engineering is associated with the release into the atmosphere of soot, unburned particles, and sulfur oxides, which ultimately end up in the soil.

4) Agriculture. Fertilizers, pesticides used in agriculture and forestry to protect plants from pests, diseases and weeds. Soil pollution and disruption of the normal cycle of substances occurs as a result of underdosed use of mineral fertilizers and pesticides. Pesticides, on the one hand, save crops, protect gardens, fields, forests from pests and diseases, destroy weeds, free people from blood-sucking insects and carriers of dangerous diseases (malaria, tick-borne encephalitis, etc.), on the other hand, they destroy natural ecosystems , cause the death of many beneficial organisms and negatively affect human health. Pesticides have a number of properties that enhance their negative impact on the environment. The application technology determines direct contact with environmental objects, where they are transmitted via
food chains, circulate for a long time in the external environment, get from soil to water, from water to plankton, then into the body of fish and humans, or from air and
soil into plants, herbivores and humans. Along with manure, pathogenic bacteria and eggs often enter the soil.
helminths and other harmful organisms that enter the human body through food.

5) Transport. During the operation of internal combustion engines, nitrogen oxides, lead, hydrocarbons and other substances are intensively released, deposited on the soil surface or absorbed by plants. Each car emits an average of 1 kg of lead into the atmosphere per year in the form of an aerosol. Lead is emitted in car exhaust, deposited on plants, and penetrates into the soil, where it can remain for quite a long time, since it is slightly soluble. There is a pronounced tendency towards an increase in the amount of lead in plant tissues. This phenomenon can be compared with the ever-increasing consumption of fuel containing tetraethyl lead. People living in cities near busy highways are at risk of accumulating lead levels in their bodies that far exceed acceptable limits in just a few years. Lead is incorporated into various cellular enzymes, and as a result, these enzymes can no longer perform their intended functions in the body. At the beginning of poisoning, increased activity and insomnia are noted, later fatigue and depression. Later symptoms of poisoning include disorders of the nervous system and brain damage. Motor transport in Moscow annually emits 130 kg of pollutants per person.

The soil is polluted with petroleum products when refueling cars in fields and forests, at logging sites, etc.

Soil self-purification is usually a slow process. Toxic substances accumulate, which contributes to a gradual change in chemical composition
soils, disruption of the unity of the geochemical environment and living organisms. From the soil, toxic substances can enter the bodies of animals and people and cause
severe illnesses and deaths. Metal compounds accumulate in soils, for example, iron, mercury, lead, copper, etc. Mercury enters the soil with pesticides and industrial waste. Total uncontrolled mercury emissions amount to 25 kg per year. The scale of the chemical transformation of the surface of the lithosphere can be judged from the following data: over a century (1870-1970) over 20 billion tons of slag and 3 billion tons of ash settled on the earth's surface. Emissions of zinc and antimony amounted to 600 thousand tons each, arsenic - 1.5 million tons, cobalt - over 0.9 million tons, nickel - more than 1 million tons.

Pesticides as a pollutant

The discovery of pesticides, chemical means of protecting plants and animals from various pests and diseases is one of the most important achievements of modern science. Today in the world there are 111 hectares. 1300 kg applied. chemicals. However, as a result of long-term use of pesticides in agriculture and medicine (control of disease vectors), there is almost universally a decrease in effectiveness due to the development of resistant races of pests and the spread of “new” pests, the natural enemies and competitors of which were destroyed by pesticides. At the same time, the effects of pesticides began to manifest themselves on a global scale. Of the huge number of insects, only 10.3% or 15 thousand species are harmful. Pesticide resistance was found in 1,250 species. This is aggravated by the phenomenon of cross-resistance, which consists in the fact that increased resistance to the action of one drug is accompanied by resistance to compounds of other classes. From a general biological point of view, resistance can be considered as a change in populations as a result of a transition from a sensitive strain to a resistant strain of the same species due to selection caused by pesticides. This phenomenon is associated with genetic, physiological and biochemical changes in organisms. Excessive use of pesticides (herbicides, insecticides, defoliants) negatively affects soil quality. In this regard, the fate of pesticides in soils and the possibilities and capabilities of their neutralization by chemical and biological methods are being intensively studied. It is very important to create and use only drugs with a short lifespan, measured in weeks or months. Some success has already been achieved in this matter and drugs with a high rate of destruction are being introduced, but the problem as a whole has not yet been solved.

Concern for environmental protection influences the use of pesticides for plant protection. Many countries have introduced strict regulation of their use. It made it possible to significantly prevent environmental pollution, avoid the accumulation of pesticide residues in agricultural products and soil, the death of beneficial organisms, and damage to human health. Recently, government control over pesticides has been strengthened.

From elementary school we are taught that man and nature are one, that one cannot be separated from the other. We learn about the development of our planet, the features of its structure and structure. These areas influence our well-being: the atmosphere, soil, water of the Earth are, perhaps, the most important components of a normal human life. But why then does environmental pollution go further and larger every year? Let's look at the main environmental issues.

Environmental pollution, which also refers to the natural environment and the biosphere, is an increased content of physical, chemical or biological reagents in it that are not typical for a given environment, brought in from the outside, the presence of which leads to negative consequences.

Scientists have been sounding the alarm about an imminent environmental disaster for several decades in a row. Conducted research in various fields leads to the conclusion that we are already faced with global changes in climate and external environment under the influence of human activity. Pollution of the oceans due to leaks of oil and petroleum products, as well as garbage, has reached enormous proportions, which affects the decline in populations of many animal species and the ecosystem as a whole. The growing number of cars every year leads to large emissions into the atmosphere, which, in turn, leads to drying of the earth, heavy rainfall on the continents, and a decrease in the amount of oxygen in the air. Some countries are already forced to bring in water and even buy canned air because production has ruined the country's environment. Many people have already realized the danger and are very sensitive to negative changes in nature and major environmental problems, but we still perceive the possibility of a disaster as something unrealistic and distant. Is this really so or is the threat imminent and something needs to be done immediately - let's find out.

Types and main sources of environmental pollution

The main types of pollution are classified by the sources of environmental pollution themselves:

• biological;
• chemical
• physical;
• mechanical.

In the first case, environmental pollutants are the activities of living organisms or anthropogenic factors. In the second case, the natural chemical composition of the contaminated sphere is changed by adding other chemicals to it. In the third case, the physical characteristics of the environment change. These types of pollution include thermal, radiation, noise and other types of radiation. The latter type of pollution is also associated with human activity and waste emissions into the biosphere.

All types of pollution can be present either separately on their own, flow from one to another or exist together. Let's consider how they affect individual areas of the biosphere.

People who have traveled a long way in the desert will probably be able to name the price of every drop of water. Although most likely these drops will be priceless, because human life depends on them. In ordinary life, we, alas, do not attach such great importance to water, since we have a lot of it and it is available at any time. But in the long term this is not entirely true. In percentage terms, only 3% of the world's fresh water remains unpolluted. Understanding the importance of water for people does not prevent people from polluting an important source of life with oil and petroleum products, heavy metals, radioactive substances, inorganic pollution, sewage and synthetic fertilizers.

Contaminated water contains a large amount of xenobiotics - substances foreign to the human or animal body. If such water enters the food chain, it can cause serious food poisoning and even death for everyone in the chain. Of course, they are also contained in products of volcanic activity, which pollute water even without human help, but the activities of the metallurgical industry and chemical plants are of predominant importance.

With the advent of nuclear research, quite significant harm has been caused to nature in all areas, including water. Charged particles trapped in it cause great harm to living organisms and contribute to the development of cancer. Wastewater from factories, ships with nuclear reactors, and simply rain or snow in the nuclear testing area can lead to contamination of water with decomposition products.

Sewage, which carries a lot of garbage: detergents, food debris, small household waste and more, in turn contributes to the proliferation of other pathogenic organisms, which, when entering the human body, give rise to a number of diseases, such as typhoid fever, dysentery and others.

It probably doesn’t make sense to explain how soil is an important part of human life. Most of the food that humans eat comes from the soil: from cereals to rare types of fruits and vegetables. In order for this to continue, it is necessary to maintain the soil condition at the proper level for the normal water cycle. But anthropogenic pollution has already led to the fact that 27% of the planet's land is susceptible to erosion.

Soil pollution is the ingress of toxic chemicals and debris into it in high quantities, interfering with the normal circulation of soil systems. Main sources of soil pollution:

• residential buildings;
• industrial enterprises;
• transport;
• Agriculture;
• nuclear power.

In the first case, soil pollution occurs due to ordinary garbage that is thrown in the wrong places. But the main reason should be called landfills. Burned waste leads to contamination of large areas, and combustion products spoil the soil irrevocably, polluting the entire environment.

Industrial enterprises emit many toxic substances, heavy metals and chemical compounds that affect not only the soil, but also the life of living organisms. It is this source of pollution that leads to technogenic soil pollution.

Transport emissions of hydrocarbons, methane and lead, entering the soil, affect food chains - they enter the human body through food.
Excessive plowing of the land, pesticides, pesticides and fertilizers, which contain enough mercury and heavy metals, lead to significant soil erosion and desertification. Abundant irrigation also cannot be called a positive factor, since it leads to soil salinization.

Today, up to 98% of radioactive waste from nuclear power plants, mainly uranium fission products, is buried in the ground, which leads to degradation and depletion of land resources.

The atmosphere in the form of a gaseous shell of the Earth is of great value because it protects the planet from cosmic radiation, affects the relief, determines the Earth's climate and its thermal background. It cannot be said that the composition of the atmosphere was homogeneous and only began to change with the advent of man. But it was precisely after the start of active human activity that the heterogeneous composition was “enriched” with dangerous impurities.

The main pollutants in this case are chemical plants, the fuel and energy complex, agriculture and cars. They lead to the appearance of copper, mercury, and other metals in the air. Of course, air pollution is felt the most in industrial areas.

Thermal power plants bring light and heat to our homes, however, at the same time they emit huge amounts of carbon dioxide and soot into the atmosphere.
Acid rain is caused by waste released from chemical plants, such as sulfur oxide or nitrogen oxide. These oxides can react with other elements of the biosphere, which contributes to the emergence of more harmful compounds.

Modern cars are quite good in design and technical characteristics, but the problem with atmospheric emissions has not yet been solved. Ash and fuel processing products not only spoil the atmosphere of cities, but also settle on the soil and lead to its deterioration.

In many industrial and industrial areas, use has become an integral part of life precisely because of environmental pollution from factories and transport. Therefore, if you are concerned about the state of the air in your apartment, with the help of a breather you can create a healthy microclimate at home, which, unfortunately, does not eliminate the problems of environmental pollution, but at least allows you to protect yourself and your loved ones.

Soil (soil) is a unique natural body, thanks to which the growth and development of all plants and the existence of the entire biosphere is possible. In our country it is and has always been one of the main wealth. However, soil pollution has now reached critical levels. And this is due, first of all, to the active development of industry. Therefore, the soil cover needs constant monitoring and protection.

What is soil?

Human soil pollution is one of the most serious environmental problems of our time, which began to be discussed seriously in the middle of the last century. But before we begin to consider this issue, we should find out what soil is, what components it consists of, and what are the features of its formation.

Soil, as a special component of any geosystem (landscape), is formed in the upper part of rocks. Its formation is influenced by climate, surface water, and flora growing in a particular area. If you look at this process from a different angle, we can say that the soil acts as a kind of connecting link between living and inanimate nature.

Its formation is based on two processes: mechanical weathering (destruction) of rocks and the vital activity of living organisms that introduce organic matter into the soil mass. Thus, living organisms ensure the formation of the so-called humus horizon in the soil.

Basic soil property

Fertility is the most important property of soil. It is ensured precisely by the presence of the humus horizon, which was discussed earlier. It is this property that distinguishes soil from all other components of the geosystem. Thanks to this quality, all plants receive the organic substances and minerals necessary for their life activity, including ensuring crop yields. That is why the consequences of soil pollution can be very serious for all of humanity, because the food security of society is jeopardized.

What does soil consist of?

The structure of any soil is represented by the following four components:

• water;
• air masses;
• rock;
• ball of humus (humus).

The main part of the soil is rock; in percentage terms it makes up to 50% of the total mass of a particular soil.

Based on the characteristics of the internal structure, soil scientists distinguish several main types of soils: sandy, rocky, clayey, saline and others. Depending on the geographical (latitudinal) location, they are: chernozem (the most fertile), sod-podzolic, archery, gray forest, red soil and others.

Vasily Dokuchaev and his role in soil research

The outstanding scientist Vasily Vasilyevich Dokuchaev made a huge contribution to the study of soil cover. His name is known throughout the world. He was the first to notice back in the 19th century that the distribution of soils on the surface of our planet is strictly latitudinal and regular. His merit also lies in the fact that he was the first to begin to consider soil as an independent object of the geosystem, which is endowed with such an important quality as integrity. By the way, in most cases, the causes of soil pollution are precisely related to ignorance or misunderstanding of this important feature of the soil.

The most important work of the scientist is the book “Russian Chernozem” (1883). It became the fruit of his many years of research and research. Vasily Dokuchaev independently studied vast areas and conducted soil studies in the territories of modern Russia and Ukraine. In his work, he identified 5 main criteria for soil formation: climatic features, parent rock, relief, flora and time.

In addition to Vasily Dokuchaev, other prominent scientists were also involved in soil science. Among them are K. Glinka, N. Sibirtsev and P. Kostychev.

Soil in human life

Is the phrase “nurse-nurse” so metaphorical and figurative? Of course not. Soil is indeed the main source of food for humans and the main resource for the agricultural sector. And although soils began to be studied in detail only at the end of the 19th century, our distant ancestors also knew about their quality, such as fertility.

Soil cover is the most important element of any landscape. Soil can be compared to a large battery that accumulates a huge amount of useful substances. It is for this reason that environmental pollution of the soil is extremely dangerous not only for the life of society, but also for the integrity of the landscape of the Earth.

Industrialization and urbanization are the main enemies of the soil

Anthropogenic pressure on the geographic envelope increased greatly in the second half of the twentieth century. The main soil pollution at this time is associated with increased industrialization, urbanization processes and urban growth. Despite the fact that many declarations on the protection of soils have been adopted, they still need protection and conservation.

The main causes of soil pollution lie in mankind’s irrational and irresponsible approach to environmental issues. Therefore, in order to solve this unusually acute problem, it is necessary first of all to reconsider human behavior in the plane of the “man-nature” relationship.

Determination of soil pollution

The concept of “ecological soil pollution” refers to the degradation of soils, which is accompanied by a significant change in their chemical composition. As a rule, plants are the first to feel these changes, and they suffer from them first of all.

Variety of soil pollutants

Active soil pollution began in the middle of the last century. It was associated with the growth of cities and the rapid development of industry. All soil pollutants can be divided into 4 main classes:

1. Class of inorganic pollutants - heavy metals, cyanides, acids and alkalis;
2. The class of organic pollutants includes pesticides, phenols, petroleum products, etc.;
3. Class of biological pollutants;
4. Class of radioactive waste.

Accordingly, a number of sources of pollution can be identified, which include:

• residential sector of cities and towns;
• utilities;
• industrial enterprises (factories, plants, factories);
• Agriculture;
• transport and transport systems;

Soil degradation can be either natural or anthropogenic. Moreover, the consequences of soil pollution in the second case are more dire and dangerous. Below we will consider the most basic types of anthropogenic soil pollution.

Soil degradation: heavy metal and pesticide pollution

This type of pollution belongs to the chemical class. Chemical contamination of soils is especially dangerous, since compounds that enter the soil can accumulate in the tissues of living organisms. And it doesn’t matter whether it’s a plant, an animal or a person.

Cadmium, lead, nickel, arsenic and mercury are the metals most often responsible for soil degradation. Pollution with heavy metals poses a great threat to biological systems of any rank. In addition to the listed elements, tetraethyl lead, a compound contained in gasoline, also poses a huge danger.

Pesticides that destroy soil microflora are no less destructive to the soil cover. We would not have known about their harmful effects on the soil if not for the rapid development of agriculture. Farmers actively fight various pests with the help of pesticides, introducing huge amounts of them into the ground. In terms of their harmfulness, these substances are no less dangerous to the human body than heavy metals. In addition, scientists have found that some pesticides can accumulate in the soil and remain there for decades.

Radioactive soil contamination

The nuclear industry is a great threat to all life on Earth. Soil contamination with radioactive waste - cesium, plutonium, strontium and other uranium fission products - has extremely undesirable consequences. At least 98% of the fuel used in nuclear reactions turns into waste, the elimination of which is one of the most pressing environmental problems of our time. Thus, annually on our planet, nuclear power plants generate about 200,000 m 3 of radioactive waste.

The most dangerous isotopes are strontium-90, cesium-137, cerium-144. Once in the ground, they can easily penetrate into the food chains of biosystems. At the same time, their mobility in the soil thickness is very high. In living organisms, these radionuclides usually accumulate in bone tissue. It is for these reasons that radioactive contamination of soils is very dangerous and fraught with negative consequences.

Other types of soil pollution

In addition to radioactive and chemical, there are some other types of soil contamination. Let's look at them.

One of these types is household soil pollution. Every day, tons of household waste and garbage are generated in the world - of different types and physical states. Household pollution does not pose too great a danger, but waste and garbage accumulated in large quantities become an obstacle to the normal growth and development of the plant world. This problem is especially acute in large cities and megalopolises, where garbage is generated daily on a colossal scale.

In addition, there is also natural pollution of the soil, to which humans have nothing to do. First of all, we are talking about soil contamination with products of volcanic eruptions (soot, toxic compounds), as well as myotoxins released by some types of fungi. However, it is worth noting that these types of pollution are not so dangerous, and they are confined to individual, small areas.

Also a big problem for the integrity of the soil cover is soil erosion. Thus, every year hundreds of hectares of fertile land are destroyed under the influence of wind and flowing water. This problem is especially acute in the steppe and forest-steppe regions of our country.

Protection and monitoring of soil condition

In order to effectively carry out a set of measures to protect soils, it is important to qualitatively and adequately analyze their condition.

A correct assessment of soil contamination makes it possible to select appropriate measures for their protection and reclamation. To obtain such an assessment, complex mathematical calculations are used and detailed chemical studies are carried out (including laboratory ones). It is usually presented in the form of a complex index Zc. This indicator takes into account several factors, in particular:

1. Nature of pollution sources.
2. Presence of chemical soil pollutants.
3. Priority of pollutants.
4. Features of land use.

Today, scientists and ecologists have developed a whole range of measures to protect and conserve soil cover. It provides for the implementation of scientific, sanitary, administrative, legal, legislative, technological and forest reclamation measures. In this aspect, the work to create waste-free production systems and technologies is of particular importance.

Conclusion

Soil is a natural component, the importance of which is very difficult to overestimate. Soil pollution is one of the most important problems, the solution of which requires the consolidation of the efforts of all members of the world community without exception: scientists, politicians, social activists and ordinary citizens. Every inhabitant of our planet must understand that the Earth is our common wealth, and join in the active struggle to protect it.

Environmental pollution is a topic that is regularly discussed in the news and in scientific circles. Many international organizations have been created to combat the deterioration of natural conditions. Scientists have long been sounding the alarm about the inevitability of this in the very near future.

At the moment, a lot is known about environmental pollution - a large number of scientific papers and books have been written, numerous studies have been conducted. But humanity has made very little progress in solving the problem. Pollution of nature still remains an important and pressing issue, the postponement of which can turn tragic.

History of biosphere pollution

Due to the intensive industrialization of society, environmental pollution has become particularly acute in recent decades. However, despite this fact, natural pollution is one of the oldest problems in human history. Even in the primitive era, people began to barbarously destroy forests, exterminate animals and change the landscape of the earth to expand their territory of residence and obtain valuable resources.

Even then, this led to climate change and other environmental problems. The growth of the planet's population and the progress of civilizations was accompanied by increased mining, drainage of water bodies, as well as chemical pollution of the biosphere. The Industrial Revolution marked not only a new era in social order, but also a new wave of pollution.

With the development of science and technology, scientists have received tools with which an accurate and detailed analysis of the ecological state of the planet has become possible. Weather reports, monitoring of the chemical composition of air, water and soil, satellite data, as well as ubiquitous smoking pipes and oil spills on the water indicate that the problem is rapidly worsening with the expansion of the technosphere. It is not for nothing that the emergence of man is called the main environmental disaster.

Classification of nature pollution

There are several classifications of natural pollution based on their source, direction, and other factors.

So, the following types of environmental pollution are distinguished:

• Biological – the source of pollution is living organisms; it can occur due to natural causes or as a result of anthropogenic activities.
• Physical – leads to changes in the corresponding characteristics of the environment. Physical pollution includes thermal, radiation, noise and others.
• Chemical – an increase in the content of substances or their penetration into the environment. Leads to a change in the normal chemical composition of resources.
• Mechanical – pollution of the biosphere with garbage.

In reality, one type of pollution may be accompanied by another or several at once.

The gaseous shell of the planet is an integral participant in natural processes, determines the thermal background and climate of the Earth, protects against harmful cosmic radiation, and influences relief formation.

The composition of the atmosphere has changed throughout the historical development of the planet. The current situation is such that part of the volume of the gas shell is determined by human economic activity. The composition of the air is heterogeneous and differs depending on the geographical location - in industrial areas and large cities there is a high level of harmful impurities.

• chemical plants;
• enterprises of the fuel and energy complex;
• transport.

These pollutants cause the presence of heavy metals in the atmosphere, such as lead, mercury, chromium, and copper. They are permanent components of air in industrial areas.

Modern power plants emit hundreds of tons of carbon dioxide, as well as soot, dust and ash, into the atmosphere every day.

The increase in the number of cars in populated areas has led to an increase in the concentration of a number of harmful gases in the air, which are part of car exhaust. Anti-knock additives added to transportation fuels release large amounts of lead. Cars produce dust and ash, which pollute not only the air, but also the soil, settling on the ground.

The atmosphere is also polluted by very toxic gases emitted by the chemical industry. Wastes from chemical plants, for example, nitrogen and sulfur oxides, are the cause and are capable of reacting with components of the biosphere to form other dangerous derivatives.

As a result of human activity, forest fires regularly occur, during which colossal amounts of carbon dioxide are released.

Soil is a thin layer of the lithosphere, formed as a result of natural factors, in which most of the exchange processes between living and nonliving systems take place.

Due to the extraction of natural resources, mining operations, the construction of buildings, roads and airfields, large areas of soil are destroyed.

Irrational human economic activity has caused the degradation of the fertile layer of the earth. Its natural chemical composition changes and mechanical contamination occurs. Intensive agricultural development leads to significant land loss. Frequent plowing makes them vulnerable to flooding, salinity and wind, which causes soil erosion.

The abundant use of fertilizers, insecticides and chemical poisons to destroy pests and clear weeds leads to the release of toxic compounds that are unnatural for it into the soil. As a result of anthropogenic activities, chemical pollution of lands with heavy metals and their derivatives occurs. The main harmful element is lead, as well as its compounds. When processing lead ores, about 30 kilograms of metal are released from every ton. Car exhaust containing large amounts of this metal settles in the soil, poisoning the organisms living in it. Liquid waste discharges from mines contaminate the ground with zinc, copper and other metals.

Power plants, radioactive fallout from nuclear explosions, and research centers for the study of atomic energy cause radioactive isotopes to enter the soil, which then enter the human body with food.

Metal reserves concentrated in the bowels of the earth are dissipated as a consequence of human production activity. Then they concentrate in the top layer of soil. In ancient times, man used 18 elements found in the earth's crust, and today - all of them are known.

Today, the water shell of the earth is much more polluted than one can imagine. Oil slicks and bottles floating on the surface are just what can be seen. A significant part of pollutants is in a dissolved state.

Water spoilage can occur naturally. As a result of mudflows and floods, magnesium is washed out of the continental soil, which enters water bodies and harms fish. As a result of chemical transformations, aluminum penetrates into fresh waters. But natural pollution makes up a negligibly small proportion compared to anthropogenic pollution. Due to human fault, the following gets into the water:

• surfactants;
• pesticides;
• phosphates, nitrates and other salts;
• medicines;
• petroleum products;
• radioactive isotopes.

Sources of these pollutants include farms, fisheries, oil platforms, power plants, chemical plants, and sewage.

Acid rain, which is also the result of human activity, dissolves the soil and washes away heavy metals.

In addition to the chemical, there is the physical, namely thermal. The largest use of water is in the production of electricity. Thermal stations use it to cool turbines, and the heated waste liquid is discharged into reservoirs.

Mechanical deterioration of water quality due to household waste in populated areas leads to a reduction in the habitats of living beings. Some species are dying.

Polluted water is the main cause of most diseases. As a result of liquid poisoning, many living beings die, the ocean ecosystem suffers, and the normal course of natural processes is disrupted. The pollutants ultimately enter the human body.

Anti-pollution

To avoid environmental disaster, combating physical pollution must be a top priority. The problem must be solved at the international level, because nature has no state borders. To prevent pollution, it is necessary to impose sanctions on enterprises that discharge waste into the environment, and impose large fines for placing waste in the wrong place. Incentives to comply with environmental safety standards can also be achieved through financial methods. This approach has proven effective in some countries.

A promising direction to combat pollution is the use of alternative energy sources. The use of solar panels, hydrogen fuel and other energy-saving technologies will reduce the emission of toxic compounds into the atmosphere.

Other methods of combating pollution include:

• construction of treatment facilities;
• creation of national parks and reserves;
• increasing the amount of green space;
• population control in third world countries;
• attracting public attention to the problem.

Environmental pollution is a large-scale global problem, which can only be solved with the active participation of everyone who calls planet Earth home, otherwise an environmental disaster will be inevitable.

1.Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………3

2.Sources of soil pollution………………………………………………...4

3. Soil……………………………………………………………………….....5

3.1. Soil pollution………………………………………………………...7

4. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….11

5. References…………………………………………………………….13

Introduction

Man has always used the environment mainly as a source of resources, but for a very long time his activities did not have a noticeable impact on the biosphere. Only at the end of the last century, changes in the biosphere under the influence of economic activity attracted the attention of scientists. In the first half of this century, these changes increased and have now hit human civilization like an avalanche. In an effort to improve his living conditions, a person constantly increases the pace of material production, without thinking about the consequences. With this approach, most of the resources taken from nature are returned to it in the form of waste, often toxic or unsuitable for disposal. This poses a threat to both the existence of the biosphere and man himself.

Currently, agriculture must produce ever-increasing quantities of food, while the area under cultivation (per person) is decreasing due to population growth, urbanization, industrialization and non-agricultural land use. If improperly exploited, land is irretrievably destroyed due to erosion, salinization, mining or pollution from industrial waste.

The top layer of the lithosphere, the soil, is most heavily polluted. Various physical, chemical and biological processes take place in the soil, which are disrupted as a result of pollution. Soil pollution is associated with air and water pollution. The soil acts as an indispensable intermediary between the atmosphere and the hydrosphere for the entire amount of any pollutant emitted by humans into the air. The earth's surface plays a major role in exchange processes between environments. Very often, pollution enters the hydrosphere through the lithosphere.

2. Sources of soil pollution.

1. Residential buildings and household enterprises. Among the pollutants, household waste, food waste, construction waste, and waste from heating systems predominate.

2. Industrial enterprises. Pollution of any kind, nature and quality.

3. Thermal power engineering. In addition to the formation of a mass of slag when burning coal, thermal power engineering is associated with the release into the atmosphere of soot, unburned particles, and sulfur oxides, which ultimately end up in the soil through precipitation.

4. Agriculture. Fertilizers, pesticides used in agriculture and forestry to protect plants from pests, diseases and weeds.

5. Transport.

3. Soil.

Soil is the top layer of land, formed under the influence of plants, animals, microorganisms and climate from the parent rocks on which it is located. This is an important and complex component of the biosphere, closely connected with its other parts.

The following main components interact in complex ways in soil:

Mineral particles (sand, clay), water, air;

Detritus - dead organic matter, the remains of the vital activity of plants and animals;

Many living organisms - from detritivores to decomposers, decomposing detritus to humus.

Thus, the soil is a bioinert system based on dynamic

interactions between mineral components, detritus, detritivores and soil organisms.

Soils go through several stages in their development and formation. Young soils are usually the result of weathering of parent rocks or transport of sediment deposits (eg alluvium). Microorganisms, pioneer plants - lichens, mosses, grasses, and small animals - settle on these substrates.

Gradually other species of plants and animals are introduced, the composition of the biocenosis

becomes more complex, a whole series of relationships arise between the mineral substrate and living organisms. As a result, mature soil is formed, the properties of which depend on the original parent rock and climate.

The soil development process ends when equilibrium is reached,

correspondence of the soil with the vegetation cover and climate, that is, it arises

state of menopause. Thus, the changes in soil that occur during the process of its formation resemble successional changes in ecosystems.

Each soil type corresponds to certain types of plant communities.

Thus, pine forests, as a rule, grow on light sandy soils, while spruce forests prefer heavier and nutrient-rich loamy soils.

Soil is like a living organism within which various complex processes take place. In order to maintain the soil in good condition, it is necessary to know the nature of the metabolic processes of all its components.

Surface layers of soil usually contain a lot of plant and

animal organisms, the decomposition of which leads to the formation of humus.

The amount of humus determines the fertility of the soil.

The soil is home to a great variety of different living organisms - edaphobionts, forming a complex food detrital network: bacteria, microfungi, algae, protozoa, mollusks, arthropods and their larvae, earthworms and many others. All these organisms play a huge role in the formation of soil and changes in its physical and chemical characteristics.

Plants absorb essential minerals from the soil, but after the death of plant organisms, the removed elements return to the soil. Soil organisms gradually process all organic residues. Thus, under natural conditions there is a constant cycle of substances in the soil.

In artificial agrocenoses, such a cycle is disrupted, since people withdraw a significant part of agricultural products, using them for their own needs. Due to the non-participation of this part of the production in the cycle, the soil becomes infertile. To avoid this and increase soil fertility in artificial agrocenoses, people apply organic and mineral fertilizers.

3.1. Soil pollution.

Soil pollution. Under normal natural conditions, all processes

occurring in the soil are in equilibrium. But often in violation

The equilibrium state of the soil is the fault of man. As a result of development

Human economic activity causes pollution, changes in the composition of the soil and even its destruction. Currently, there is less than one hectare of arable land for every inhabitant of our planet. And these small areas continue to shrink due to inept human economic activities.

Huge areas of fertile land are destroyed during mining operations and during the construction of enterprises and cities. Destruction of forests and natural grass cover, repeated plowing of the land without following the rules of agricultural technology leads to soil erosion - destruction and washing away of the fertile layer by water and wind. Erosion has now become a worldwide evil. It is estimated that in the last century alone, as a result of water and

2 billion hectares of fertile land for active agricultural use have been lost due to wind erosion on the planet.

One of the consequences of increased human production activity is intensive soil pollution. The main soil pollutants are metals and their compounds, radioactive elements, as well as fertilizers and pesticides used in agriculture.

The most dangerous soil pollutants include mercury and its compounds. Mercury enters the environment with pesticides and industrial waste containing metallic mercury and its various compounds.

Soil contamination with lead is even more widespread and dangerous.

It is known that when one ton of lead is smelted, up to 25 kg of lead is released into the environment with waste. Lead compounds are used as additives in gasoline, so motor vehicles are a serious source of lead pollution. Lead is especially high in soils along major highways.

Near large centers of ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, soils are contaminated with iron, copper, zinc, manganese, nickel, aluminum and other metals. In many places their concentration is tens of times higher than the maximum permissible concentration.

Radioactive elements can enter the soil and accumulate in it in

as a result of precipitation from atomic explosions or during the removal of liquid and solid waste from industrial enterprises, nuclear power plants or research institutions related to the study and use of atomic energy.

Radioactive substances from soils enter plants, then into organisms

animals and humans accumulate in them.

Modern agriculture, which widely uses fertilizers and various chemicals to control pests, weeds and plant diseases, has a significant impact on the chemical composition of soils. Currently, the amount of substances involved in the cycle during agricultural activities is approximately the same as during industrial production.

At the same time, the production and use of fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture increases every year. Their inept and uncontrolled use leads to disruption of the cycle of substances in the biosphere.

Particularly dangerous are persistent organic compounds used as pesticides. They accumulate in soil, water, and bottom sediments of reservoirs. But the most important thing is that they are included in ecological food chains, pass from soil and water to plants, then to animals, and ultimately enter the human body with food.

Heavy metals. This type of pollutant was one of the first to be studied. Heavy metals usually include elements that have an atomic mass of more than 50. They enter the soil mainly from the atmosphere with emissions from industrial enterprises, and lead from car exhaust gases. Cases have been described in which large amounts of heavy metals entered the soil with irrigation waters if wastewater from industrial enterprises was discharged into rivers above the water intake. The most typical heavy metals are lead, cadmium, mercury, zinc, molybdenum, nickel, cobalt, tin, titanium, copper, vanadium.

Heavy metals most often enter the soil from the atmosphere in the form of oxides, where they gradually dissolve, turning into hydroxides, carbonates, or into the form of exchangeable cations (Fig. 6). If the soil firmly binds heavy metals (usually in humus-rich heavy loamy and clayey soils), this protects groundwater, drinking water, and plant products from contamination. But then the soil itself gradually becomes more and more contaminated and at some point the destruction of soil organic matter may occur with the release of heavy metals into the soil solution. As a result, such soil will be unsuitable for agricultural use. The total amount of lead that can be retained by a meter layer of soil on one hectare reaches 500 - 600 tons; Such an amount of lead, even with very strong pollution, does not occur in normal conditions. The soils are sandy, low in humus, and resistant to pollution; this means that they weakly bind heavy metals, easily transfer them to plants or pass them through themselves with filtered water. On such soils the danger of contamination of plants and groundwater increases. This is one of the intractable contradictions: soils that are easily polluted protect the environment, but soils that are resistant to pollution do not have protective properties against living organisms and natural waters.

If soils are contaminated with heavy metals and radionuclides, it is almost impossible to clean them. So far, the only way is known: to sow such soils with fast-growing crops that produce large green mass; such crops extract toxic elements from the soil, and then the harvested crop must be destroyed. But this is a rather lengthy and expensive procedure. You can reduce the mobility of toxic compounds and their entry into plants by increasing the soil pH by liming or adding large doses of organic substances, such as peat. Deep plowing can have a good effect, when the top contaminated layer of soil is lowered to a depth of 50 - 70 cm during plowing, and deep layers of soil are raised to the surface. To do this, you can use special multi-tiered plows, but the deep layers still remain contaminated. Finally, on soils contaminated with heavy metals (but not radionuclides), crops that are not used as food or feed, such as flowers, can be grown.

CONCLUSION

Well-coordinated soil chemical systems took many years to develop; It takes a particularly long time in unfavorable climatic conditions, with sparse vegetation, under spruce forests. It takes hundreds of years for the formation of highly buffered soil genetic chemical systems that give soils the ability to withstand fluctuations in climate and vegetation. This buffering is due to the high diversity of chemical compounds in soils, many of which have different properties. All this allows the soils to optimally ensure the stable state of the biocenosis as a whole.

In agricultural soils, the natural balance is partially disturbed, and the chemical composition of the soil does not fully meet the requirements of the crops grown; some of the chemical elements are alienated with the harvest, and organic matter is partially mineralized. Therefore, in arable soils it is necessary to replenish the supply of chemical elements and/or their compounds by introducing mineral and organic fertilizers. With the help of fertilizers and reclamation techniques, it is possible to significantly improve the physical properties of soils, their chemical composition, and increase fertility. In this case, they talk about soil cultivation.

If changes in soils during agricultural use are relatively easy to control and with scientifically based land use it is possible to achieve preservation and even improvement of soils, then chemical pollution can lead to irreversible changes in soils and their destruction. While the formation of mature soils takes hundreds or thousands of years, irreversible degradation or complete destruction of the soil can occur within a few years. It is easy to destroy soil, but difficult to create again. And in this regard, there are significant differences between the different shells of the Earth. Air pollution is dangerous, but strong winds are quickly changing the situation. Pollution of the hydrosphere is often more persistent than pollution of the atmosphere, but rivers and seas sooner or later disperse pollutants, which is actively helped by currents and water renewal.

Toxic levels of pollutants accumulate in soils more slowly, but they remain in it for a long time, negatively affecting the ecological situation of entire regions. Therefore, soil protection is a matter of primary importance, although the impact of soil pollution is not as noticeable and obvious as pollution of the atmosphere and hydrosphere.

Heavy metals suppress the biochemical activity of soil microorganisms and cause changes in their total numbers. Pollution with heavy metals manifests itself in changes in the species composition of the complex of soil microorganisms

Bibliography.

1. Dokuchaev V.V. Cartography of Russian soils. Favorite op. T. III. M.: State. agricultural publishing house lit., 1949.

2. Dokuchaev V.V. Analysis of the main soil classifications. Favorite op. T. III. M.: State. agricultural publishing house lit., 1949.

3. Rozanov B.G., Targulyan V.O., Orlov D.S. Soil science. 1989. No. 5. P. 5.

4. Soil-ecological monitoring and soil protection / Ed. D.S. Orlova and V.D. Vasilievskaya. M.: Publishing house Mosk. University, 1994.

Sources. For example, thermal power plants are source pollution soils coal dust, ash... . In 50-80 years important source radioactive pollution soils there was a test of atomic bombs, and in 1986...