This document discusses the causes, effects, and prevention of soil pollution. It outlines several major causes of soil pollution including oil spills, mining, acid rain, intensive farming, industrial accidents, human waste, nuclear waste, landfills, and deforestation. The effects of soil pollution include severe health effects on humans, bad effects on plants, effects on microorganisms, effects on economic activities, loss of minerals, and soil erosion. The document concludes with suggestions for preventing soil pollution such as generating energy from waste, adopting organic farming, improving waste management practices, avoiding harmful chemicals, educating others, and composting.

1. JAIPUR NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
SEEDLING SCHOOL OF NURSING
PREPARED BY-
(Prof.) Dr. Rahul Sharma
HOD of Mental Health Nursing
Ph.D. Coordinator
Seedling School of Nursing

2. Causes, Effects, and Prevention
of Soil Pollution

3. Causes, Effects, and
Prevention of Soil Pollution?
• Soil Pollution Definition, Causes,
Effects, and Prevention

4. Soil Pollution
Introduction Soil pollution is the contamination of soil with
harmful substances
It occurs when humans add too many
chemicals to the soil; This can happen through
careless disposal of waste, intensive farming
practices, or even natural disasters
Minerals comprise the largest component of
soil, accounting for approximately 45%,
followed by air and water, each comprised
25%, and organic matter, which constitut

5. What Are the Causes
of Soil Pollution?
• Please remember, there are many
causes of soil pollution, but we
have gathered only the main and
severe ones here

6. Oil Spills
And oil spill can be
explained as releasing
a liquid petroleum
hydrocarbon into the
environment,
especially in the
ocean/marine
ecosystem
When an oil tanker
leaks oil into the
environment, the oil
can seep into the
ground and
contaminate the soil
Oil spills can also
cause water pollution
if the oil contamination
spreads to nearby
waterways, eventually
contaminating the soil

7. Mining
Non-Eco-friendly mining
contributes to many
industrial and human
activities
Mining processes
release chemicals into
surface water or
groundwater, which are
then mixed with soil to
cause soil pollution
When mining operations
extract minerals and
other materials from the
earth, they can disturb
and damage the
surrounding soil

8. Acid Rain
Both natural and human-made reasons
can lead to acid rain
It is caused when rainwater absorbs
pollutants from the atmosphere,
including sulfur dioxide and nitrogen
oxide
Acid rain can damage vegetation,
reduce crop yields, and make the soil
less hospitable for plant growth

9. Intensive
Farming First, the overuse of agrochemicals
such as pesticides and herbicides
can contaminate the soil
Second, the over-grazing of
livestock can strip away vegetation,
leaving the soil exposed to erosion
Third, the use of heavy machinery
can compact the soil, making it
harder for plants to grow

10. Industrial
Accidents One of the causes of soil pollution is industrial
accidents
These can include oil spills, chemical leaks, and
even mining accidents
These materials can contaminate the soil and
water, making it unsafe for plants and animals to
live; This unfortunate or unwanted experience
can cause a threat to life, injury, or disease

11. Human Waste Domestic waste, which is not
biodegradable, is spread by
humans in the environment
When people don’t properly
dispose of their waste, it can
end up in the soil
This can contaminate the soil
and make it dangerous for
plants and animals

12. Nuclear Waste
Nuclear waste is highly toxic to our
environment
It also contains various chemicals that
are not good for the soil; it decreases
soil fertility and causes soil pollution
Nuclear waste can also take
thousands of years to break down, so
it can continue to pollute the
environment and soil for a long tim

13. Landfills
Landfills are one of the causes of soil
pollution
When garbage is dumped in a landfill,
it decomposes and produces leachate,
a liquid that can contaminate the soil
and groundwater
Landfills also release methane gas,
a greenhouse gas contributing to global
warming

14. Deforestation When forests are cleared for land
development, the natural vegetation
that once held the soil in place is
removed
Trees play an essential role when flood
and heavy rain occurs
The roots of trees help to hold the soil
in place, preventing erosion

15. Fertilizers
When fertilizers are used, they release
nutrients into the soil that plants can
take up
However, if there is an excess of
synthetic fertilizer in the soil, it can lead
to soil erosion
Human uses it in an extra amount
which can make the soil acidic; This
ultimately leads to agricultural pollution

16. What Are the Effects
of Soil Pollution?
There are numerous effects of soil pollution; we have gathered major and
severe ones

17. Severe Health
Effects on
Humans
Soil pollution can affect human health
in various ways
For example, exposure to
contaminated soil can lead to skin
irritation, nausea, vomiting, and
diarrhea
Therefore, soil pollution is a severe
problem that should not be taken lightl

18. Bad Effects on
Plants
When the soil is contaminated again
and again because of those poisonous
chemicals and materials, there will be
a time when it will stop supporting
plant life in it
The soil will lose its productivity and
the ability to grow plants
The pollutants can damage the roots
and make it difficult for the plant to
take in nutrients; This can lead to poor
growth and poor plant health

19. Effects on
Microorganisms Soil pollution has a variety of effects on
microorganisms
The most direct effect is the contamination of soil
with toxic chemicals, which can kill or inhibit the
growth of microorganisms
Soil pollution can also change the structure and
function of microorganisms in the soil, making
them less able to perform essential ecosystem
functions such as decomposition and nutrient
cycling

20. Effects on
Economic
Activities
One effect is that it can lead to
decreased crop yields/production; This
happens because polluted soil doesn’t
have the same nutrients as healthy soil
Soil pollution can also lead to health
problems in people who come into
contact with it
In some cases, soil pollution can cause
environmental damage that is
expensive to clean up

21. Loss of
Minerals
As we all know, soil has so many
minerals that plants extract from the
soil as nutrients
Some essential minerals which are
found in soil are – Sulphur, potassium,
nitrogen, phosphorus, magnesium,
iron, etc
Soil pollution can cause the loss of
minerals

22. Soil Erosion There are various human-made and
natural factors that lead to soil erosion
For example, when the top layer of the
soil, known as topsoil, moves from one
place to another, it leads to soil erosion
When it is washed or blown away,
plants cannot grow as well; This can
lead to a decrease in crop yields,
which can have a significant impact on
food productions

23. Prevention of
Soil Pollution

24. Generating
Energy from
Waste Products
We can stop soil pollution by producing
our own energy from our waste
products which are called biogas
The largest energy source in the
making of biogas is methane gas
The animals and human manure
together help to make biogas

25. Adopting
Organic Farming
• Agriculture and food industries
have become almost inorganic
• So, we must keep the agriculture
and food industries clean and
prevent the soil from the
poisonous chemicals flowing from
those industries
• There are many benefits of
organic farming that will promote
good health among us and
maintain ecosystem balance

26. Improving
Waste
Management
Practices
Poor waste management is another major
contributor to soil pollution; This includes
things like improperly disposing of hazardous
materials, not recycling, and littering
As soil pollution occurs in soil, we should keep
the land clean to prevent land pollution
Improving our waste management
practices can help to reduce soil pollution

27. Avoiding the
Use of Harmful
Chemicals
We should reduce the number of
fertilizers for our crops as excess
fertilizers make the soil acidic and
can pollute soil and groundwater
So, it is crucial to avoid using them
unless absolutely necessary
If they must be used, they should
be used according to the
manufacturer’s instructions

28. Educating
Others About
Soil Pollution
Educating others about the importance
of preventing soil pollution can go a
long way in protecting our planet
Also, control measures of soil pollution
are not only related to humans
Many animals are affected by soil
pollution, whether it’s from chemicals
or litter

29. Make Compost Finally, we can help prevent soil
pollution by composting food scraps,
yard waste, and animal waste instead
of sending them to landfills
This helps keep harmful chemicals and
pollutants out of the soil while also
providing a nourishing addition to your
garden
Some standard environmental
remediation analyzed by environmental
scientists are as follows

30. Thermal Remediation
• Introducing heat raises subsurface
temperatures to remove the soil
contaminants present in the groundwater
and soil

31. Bioremediation
• By involving microbial digestion of certain
organic chemicals
• It is a process in which living organisms like
bacteria and microbes are used to remove
harmful substances

32. Mycoremediation By using fungus to metabolize
contamination and accumulate
heavy metals
It means using fungi to
remove contaminants present
in the soil
Fungi have the ability to
absorb and settle the
pollutants like metals etc

33. Conclusion of
Soil Pollution
Soil pollution is a
huge
environmental
issue that needs
to be addressed
If we want to
protect our
environment and
our food supply,
we must take
steps to reduce
soil pollution
Humanity needs
to know and
accept its limits
of involvement in
nature
Our
responsibility is
to maintain
the balance of
nature and also
to handle waste
correctly

34. THANK YOU