Question

Outline seven soil pollutants and state two effects of each​ of this seven soil pollutants.

Answer 1

See below.

Step-by-step explanation:

1) Plastic / Glass:

● Non biodegradable substances & takes a long time to decompose.

● Harmful substances are released into the soil.

2) Acid rain:

● Changes the acid level of the soil.

● Causes harm to the plants, insects & ground water.

3) Pesticides / Insecticides / Artificial fertilisers:

● Alters the health of the soil.

● Causes harm to the plants & the organisms living in the soil.

4) Heavy metals (merculy, arsenic etc.)

● Causes toxic harm to plants & animals.

● Highly poisonous .

5) Industrial wastes:

● pH level of the soil can be altered.

● Makes ground water either too acidic or too basic.

6) Radon:

● Harms microorganisms .

● Can cause lung diseases.

7) Hydrocarbons:

● Affects soil health

● Affects the micoorganisms in the soil.

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Hope it helps ⚜

Answer 2

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Soil pollutants are substances which contaminates the soil. Soil pollutants are very harmful substances ,they makes the soil toxic . The presence of these substances in higher concentration directly affects the ecosystem, earth etc.

Here are some major soil pollutants :-

1) Industrial wastes

• Industrial wastes are the common soil pollutants. The discharge of industrial waste in the soil makes it very toxic and directly affects the growth of plants (agriculture) .
• Industrial waste also affects the life of some organisms like earth worms which makes the soil more fertile.

2) Pesticides

• Pesticides are the substances which are generally used to kill the pestes. It includes Insecticides, herbicides and fungicides.
• The higher concentration of pesticides in cropfield directly affects the human health and responsible for soil pollution, water pollution etc.

3) Hydrocarbons

• Hydrocarbons are the substances which are composed of hydrogen and carbon.
• Only some hydrocarbons are responsible for soil pollution as they are very harmful for living organisms. for example the most harmful hydrocarbons is PAHs ( Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) .
• PAHs in soil affects the growth of plants and it is indirectly responsible for the cancer in humans.

4) Metals

• Most of the people don't know that the higher concentration of some metals makes the soil very toxic .
• The concentration of these metals in soil directly kills the human beings and other living organisms.

5) Non - biodegradable substances

• Most people throw the trash in the soil even they know that soil can't degrade the non - biodegradable substances.
• When these non - biodegradable wastes eaten by street animals it directly affects the health of those animals and disturbs the ecosystem.

6) Human activities

• Some people really don't care about the environment. They always do ,what they want to do without even thinking about its consequences on the environment. They throw Cigrattes in the soil, Drop alcohol in soil .
• These activities makes the soil toxic and the crops that are grown in contaminated soil directly affects the human health.

7) Acid rain

• It is major reason for the contamination of soil. Some people thought that, It is the natural cause of soil pollution but that's not the reality.
• Humans are the one's who are responsible for acid rain.
• Contamination of these acids makes the soil very toxic that it kills the plants on the spot.