Final answer:
The concern of contaminated soil is based on the health risks it poses, which include potential exposure to pesticides, heavy metals, and other industrial chemicals that can affect human and environmental health. These contaminants may enter the food chain affecting consumer products like baby food, indicating a serious issue that necessitates stringent regulations.
Step-by-step explanation:
The concern that arises from having contaminated soil is the potential health risk to humans and the environment. Chemical pollution stemming from pesticides, heavy metals, or industrial by-products can accumulate in soil, potentially entering the food chain.
For example, the application of heptachlor, a pesticide, can lead to soil contamination and thereby enter the food we consume, such as in a baby food manufacturing scenario, posing a risk to infants who are more sensitive to chemical exposure.
Furthermore, environmental contaminants such as PCBs, DDT, and its breakdown product DDE, highlight the ongoing concerns regarding soil pollution and its wide-reaching impacts on public health, ecosystem health, and agricultural practices.
Specific health hazards tied to these contaminants include the disruption of the endocrine system, neurotoxicity, immune system toxicity, and other developmental issues.
This concern has warranted an increase in government regulations focused on reducing the levels of these toxic substances available in our environment. Regular exposure to these chemicals, even in small amounts, might lead to long-term health effects.
And while these contaminants can be biological, like molds or algae, most public attention and research focus on chemical agents such as dioxins, heavy metals, and pesticides. The presence of these toxins in soil can lead to their ingestion through food produced on contaminated land, water that has absorbed these chemicals, or direct contact with the soil itself.