how can we clean up polluted soil

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How can we clean up contaminated soil?

Using plants to clean contaminated soil. Smooth water hyssop takes up copper and mercury, while water hyacinths suck up mercury, lead, cadmium, zinc, cesium, strontium-90, uranium and various pesticides. Sunflowers slurp a wide range of compounds – not just the uranium and strontium-90 from radioactive sites, but also cesium,...

How can plants help clean up soil pollution?

Instead of a massive cleanup that removes soil, plants can absorb and safely store those toxins for us. Plants absorb and use nutrients from soil. This extends to the uptake of toxins in the soil, providing us with a useful, natural way to clean contaminated land.

How do you get rid of lead in the soil?

Using plants to clean contaminated soil. Blue Sheep fescue helps clean up lead, as do water ferns and members of the cabbage family. Smooth water hyssop takes up copper and mercury, while water hyacinths suck up mercury, lead, cadmium, zinc, cesium, strontium-90, uranium and various pesticides.

How do you protect plants from soil contamination?

Adjusting the soil pH to as close to neutral as possible will help reduce the negative impact of contaminants. Contaminated soil treatment also includes adding plenty of rich organic matter to the soil and a healthy top-dress of peat moss, compost, or aged manure. This practice will help protect plants from damage.

What is the best way to treat contaminated soil?

Contaminated soil treatment also includes adding plenty of rich organic matter to the soil and a healthy top-dress of peat moss, compost, or aged manure. This practice will help protect plants from damage. Always be sure to wash any fruits or vegetables before you eat them.

How to reduce the negative impact of soil contamination?

While cleaning contaminated soil is not “literally” possible, some things can be done to reduce the toxic impact. Adjusting the soil pH to as close to neutral as possible will help reduce the negative impact of contaminants.

What is the key to growing a healthy garden?

Image by megaflopp. The key to growing a healthy garden is clean, healthy soil. Contaminants in soil can quickly lead to an array of problems, so determining possible causes of soil contamination beforehand and learning how to clean contaminated soils is very important.

Why is soil contaminated?

Oftentimes, the causes of soil contamination result from dangerous chemicals that find their way into the soil and disrupt the soil structure. Contaminants in soil that is taken up by plants or comes in contact with garden fruits and vegetables can cause health problems.

Why is it important to have a soil sample?

Before you begin to plan and construct your garden, it’s always wise to have a soil sample analyzed. The quality of soil can be affected by many things. It is important to determine what nearby land was used for in the past and assess the impact of any nearby industry. Oftentimes, the causes of soil contamination result from dangerous chemicals ...

What are the most common contaminants in soil?

Possible Contaminants in Soil. Urban dwellers should be particularly concerned with a number of possible soil contaminants including lead, which has been used in paint and as an additive to gasoline; cadmium, which results from burning coal and garbage; arsenic, which is used in wood preservatives, weed killers, pesticides, and fertilizers.

What chemicals are used to detect gas leaks?

If you live close to an industrial or commercial site, it’s wise to have your soil checked for metals and cyanides, benzene, toluene, and other chemicals associated with gas station leaks. Rural residents should also check for past and present industries and pesticides.

What Are The Causes of Soil Pollution and What To Do About It?

We often hear about air pollution. Images of smoke puffing out of train engines and up into the sky are embedded in our minds. The gas emissions from our cars are monitored while many large cities have smog alerts.

Causes of Soil Pollution

The use of chemicals as part of agriculture is at record levels. Whether it’s to increase the production of crops or restrict the growth of harmful fungi, chemicals such as herbicides and pesticides are an integral part of our agricultural process.

Effects of Soil Pollution

The effects of soil pollution are numerous. With damaged soil, the most drastic impact is that life on Earth may become unsustainable. Plants won’t grow and the animal and human lives that depend on them will vanish. Aside from eventual death, soil pollution has several other consequences. Some of these include:

What To Do About Soil Pollution?

Although laws and regulations have been put in place, there are additional steps that we can take to curb soil pollution.

What is the process of removing contaminants from soil and water?

Bioremediation. Bioremediation is the use of biological processes to degrade, transform, or essentially remove contaminants from soil and water. This process relies on micro-organisms including bacteria and/or fungi, which use the contaminant as a food source.

How does soil washing work?

Soil washing eliminates hazardous contaminants by washing the soil with a liquid wash solution. During this process, fine grained soils, such as silts and clays, are washed away along with contaminants, which are more prone to bind to fine soils. Thus, contaminated fines are separated from cleaned coarse grained soils, such as sands and gravels, which can be safely re-used. Soil washing does not destroy or remove the contaminants and therefore the contaminated soil must be disposed of in a licensed facility.

How can humans be exposed to soil?

People and animals can be exposed to soil contaminants in several ways: by ingesting soil; by breathing violates and dust; by absorbing contaminants through the skin; or by eating food grown in contaminated soil.

How does stabilization reduce the risk of contamination?

It can be achieved in two ways: firstly, by modifying the contaminant in the ground to a less dangerous form; secondly, through solidification, by reducing the mobility of the contaminant and binding it in place so it can’t reach any receptors.

What is the purpose of soil stabilization?

Soil stabilisation involves the addition of immobilizing agents to reduce a contaminants’ leachability. Physical methods, like soil washing, use water to separate or remove contaminants.

Why are some pollutants released below the surface?

Others are released below the surface, due to leaks from buried tanks, sewage pipes, or landfills. Atmospheric contaminants containing hazardous substances can also cause problems. Furthermore, contamination is not always limited to a specific site and can seep through the soil into groundwater or be carried to nearby land ...

How long does it take to dispose of halogenated organic solvents?

non-chlorinated pesticides and herbicides. nitrogen compounds. metals (lead, mercury, chromium) radionuclides. Often, bioremediation presents a more economic option to disposal, however it can take anything from one to several months to carry out.

What is the EPA's goal for preventing soil contamination?

EPA’s corrective action goal with respect to contaminated soil/sediment is to prevent adverse effects to human health and the environment by protecting the integrity of the nation’s soil/sediment resources. EPA believes that short-term exposure prevention and long-term cleanup goals are essential elements of a strategy designed to achieve this overall goal. With respect to short-term exposure prevention, EPA works with facilities to interrupt current and prevent new exposure via direct pathways (e.g., dermal exposures, incidental ingestion, and inhalation of soils/dusts) as well as indirect pathways (e.g., ingestion of food crops and fish production). EPA also works with facilities in the short-term to address soil/sediment exposure routes that may cause negative impacts to ecosystems. With respect to long-term cleanup goals, facilities and regulators generally focus first on cleanup activities to limit the risk to human health by limiting exposure. Then the focus shifts to cleaning up contaminated soils/sediments that are currently being used or reasonably expected to be used for residential or food production purposes or that are causing significant ecological impacts, whenever such restorations are practicable and attainable.

What is the EPA's corrective action goal for groundwater?

EPA’s corrective action goal for groundwater is to prevent adverse effects to human health and the environment, both now and in the future. EPA believes that short-term exposure prevention and long-term cleanup goals are both essential elements to achieve this overall goal. With respect to short-term exposure ...

What is EPA guidance?

EPA developed guidance documents to assist regulators, members of the regulated community, and members of the public understand and implement Corrective Action cleanup of different types of media, including: groundwater, soil, and air (vapor intrusion) after a release has occurred. Guidance documents do not impose legally binding requirements on ...

Why is the EPA important?

EPA developed groundwater guidance to help regulators, members of the regulated community, and members of the public better understand EPA’s groundwater cleanup cleanup approaches, technical protocols, and policies. Additionally, EPA recommends that facilities, regulators, and members of the public use these guidance documents to focus discussions ...

What does the EPA recommend?

Additionally, EPA recommends that facilities, regulators, and members of the public use these guidance documents to focus discussions and to ultimately improve the quality of groundwater at and near Corrective Action facilities.

What is the EPA's strategy for the 1990s?

This report states EPA policy, accompanied by implementation principles that reflect an aggressive approach to protecting the Nation's groundwater resources.

What is corrective action cleanup?

The Corrective Action Program requires such facilities to conduct investigations and cleanup actions (remediation of the contamination) as necessary to protect human health and the environment . EPA developed guidance documents to assist regulators, members of the regulated community, and members of the public understand and implement Corrective Action cleanup of different types of media, including: groundwater, soil, and air (vapor intrusion) after a release has occurred.