Harmful Effects of Chemical Fertilizers
- Waterway Pollution. The use of chemical fertilizers on crops can have adverse effects on waterways caused by chemical run off of the excess fertilizer.
- Chemical Burn. Chemical fertilizers are high in nutrient content such as nitrogen. ...
- Increased Air Pollution. ...
- Soil Acidification. ...
- Mineral Depletion. ...
What are the harmful chemicals in fertilizer?
Winston-Salem is warning residents to stay out of creeks around Winston Weaver Co.’s fertilizer plant because runoff from the plant fire has caused elevated levels of nitrates, nitrites, ammonia nitrogen and other potentially harmful chemicals in the ...
How do chemical fertilizers are destroying our soil and water?
Fertilizers cause harm to the environment by polluting land and waters, endangering the health of organisms that inhabit those spaces. Aquatic life may suffer when oxygen levels in the water drop below standard. Fertilizers often lack minerals that are healthy for the environment. Over time, they can damage the soil.
What are the negative effects of fertilizer?
The Negative Effects of Nitrogen-Rich Fertilizer to the Environment
- Plant Loss. Though nitrogen serves to aid plants in their growth, weeds and nonnative plants tend to grow more readily with additional nitrogen supplies.
- Soil Imbalance. ...
- Algae Growth. ...
- Water Contamination. ...
What are the effects of chemical fertilizers?
They are:
- harmful to soil life
- acidify the soil
- deplete the soil of nutrients
- cause compaction
- burn up organic matter
- pollute our water
- grow plants that invite predator damage
What are the disadvantages of chemical fertilizers?
The Disadvantages of Using Chemical FertilizerContaining limited nutrients. Inorganic fertilizers contain set, measured levels of minerals. ... Pollution. ... Over-fertilization or PH balance troubles. ... Requiring more frequent application.
How does a chemical fertilizer affect the environment?
consumption increased exponentially throughout the world, causes serious environmental problems. Fertilization may affect the accumulation of heavy metals in soil and plant system. Plants absorb the fertilizers through the soil, they can enter the food chain. Thus, fertilization leads to water, soil and air pollution.
Is chemical fertilizer harmful to humans?
In regards to human health, the effects of chemical fertilizers are serious, both with their direct toxic effect, or in the indirect effects that are related to decreasing the nutrient density in the consumed plants.
How does chemical fertilizer affect plant growth?
Chemical fertilizers act as beneficial input to get higher crop productivity, but high dose chemical fertilizers is associated with reduction soil properties and crop yields over time [9]. While, the organic fertilizer, such as cow manure has positive effects in maintaining the soil properties.
How does fertilizer affect climate change?
Production, transportation and use of mineral fertilizers contribute directly and indirectly to emissions of greenhouse gases, notably carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O). Fertilizers also enhance agricultural productivity and stimulate CO2 uptake by the crop.
Which is one way using too much fertilizer can affect the environment?
Excess nutrients can cause harmful algal blooms (HABs) in freshwater systems, which not only disrupt wildlife but can also produce toxins harmful to humans. Fertilized soils, as well as livestock operations, are also vulnerable to nutrient losses to the air.
What are the effects of fertilizer on the environment?
Some of the harm chemical fertilizers may cause include waterway pollution, chemical burn to crops, increased air pollution, acidification of the soil and mineral depletion of the soil. Advertisement.
How have chemical fertilizers aided farmers?
Image Credit: Singkham/iStock/Getty Images. Chemical fertilizers have aided farmers in increasing crop production since the 1930's. While chemical fertilizers have their place increasing plant nutrients in adverse weather conditions or during times when plants need additional nutrients, there are also several harmful effects of chemical fertilizers.
Why do my plants' leaves turn yellow?
Chemical fertilizers are high in nutrient content such as nitrogen. Over-application of chemical fertilizer to plants may cause the leaves to turn yellow or brown, damaging the plant and reducing crop yield. This condition is known as chemical leaf scorch. Leaf scorch can cause the leaves of the plant to wither and may cause the plant to die.
Why is soil acidic?
The over-use of chemical fertilizers can lead to soil acidification because of a decrease in organic matter in the soil. Nitrogen applied to fields in large amounts over time damages topsoil, resulting in reduced crop yields. Sandy soils are much more prone to soil acidification than are clay soils. Clay soils have an ability to buffer the effects of excess chemical fertilization.
Why do fish die in water?
The over-abundance of nutrients in the water reduces the amount of oxygen. The existing organisms living in the water use up the oxygen that is left. The result is oxygen depletion causing the fish to die. Advertisement.
Does nitrogen affect crop yields?
Nitrogen applied to fields in large amounts over time damages topsoil, resulting in reduced crop yields. Sandy soils are much more prone to soil acidification than are clay soils. Clay soils have an ability to buffer the effects of excess chemical fertilization. Advertisement.
Does clay soil buffer chemical fertilizer?
Clay soil buffers excess chemical fertilization better than others. Image Credit: Sinelyov/iStock/Getty Images. The over-use of chemical fertilizers can lead to soil acidification because of a decrease in organic matter in the soil.
Why is nitrogen fertilizer bad for the environment?
Nitrogen fertilizers break down into nitrates and travel easily through the soil. Because it is water-soluble and can remain in groundwater for decades, the addition of more nitrogen over the years has an accumulative effect.
What is the scariest thing about fertilizer?
Perhaps one of the scariest effects of chemical fertilizers is something called methemoglobinemia. In infants it is alternatively known as Blue Baby Syndrome. The risk most often occurs when infants are given formula reconstituted with nitrate contaminated water. The condition causes a decrease in oxygen in the blood and results in a blue-grey skin color, causes lethargy and/or irritability and can lead to coma or death. I’ve been unable to find whether the same risk exists for breastfeeding babies whose mothers drank contaminated water.
How does nitrogen affect the marine ecosystem?
Nitrogen groundwater contamination also contributes to marine “dead zones”. The increase in the water-soluble nitrates creates an influx of plant-life, which eats up oxygen and starves out fish and crustaceans. This has an impact not only on the aquatic ecosystem, but on local societies who depend on food sourced from those areas.
How does fertilizer affect biodiversity?
Destruction of Soil biodiversity: Fertilizer application begins the destruction of soil biodiversity by diminishing the role of nitrogen-fixing bacteria and amplifying the role of everything that feeds on nitrogen. These feeders then speed up the decomposition of organic matter and humus.
What is the effect of fertilizer on groundwater?
One popular fertilizer, urea, produces ammonia emanation, contributes to acid rain, groundwater contamination and ozone depletion due to release of nitrous oxide by denitrification process . With it’s increased use and projections of future use, this problem may increase several fold in the coming decades. Groundwater contamination has been linked to gastric cancer, goitre, birth malformations, and hypertension; testicular cancer and stomach cancer.
What is fertilizer used for?
Fertilizer is any substance used to add nutrients to the soil to promote soil fertility and increase plant growth. Unfortunately, as unsustainable farming and gardening practices continue our soil is stripped of its health and we depend on amendments even greater. This leads to some pretty negative effects of chemical fertilizers.
What are the effects of nitrogen on crops?
Excessive air- and water-borne nitrogen from fertilizers may cause respiratory ailments, cardiac disease, and several cancers, as well as can “inhibit crop growth, increase allergenic pollen production, and potentially affect the dynamics of several vector-borne diseases, including West Nile virus, malaria, and cholera.”.