Contamination of soils

The fate of contaminants in the soil medium is assessed whenever the contaminant release atmospheric, or fate screening, assessment results show that significant contamination of soils is likely. 

Overhead transmission lines require that the area beneath them be cleared of trees or tall shrubs, which may result in erosion. When the transmission line right-of-way is not kept clear, the transmission line may come into contact with vegetation, causing a fault on the system and possibly starting a fire. Chemical contamination of soil may result from some types of transmission structures, such as treated wood. Burial of underground cables also can impact the environment due to erosion. 

Abdul AS, Gibson TL, Kia SF. 1990. Contamination of soil and groundwater by automatic transmission fluid Site description and problem assessment. J Hydrol 121 133-153. 

Significant zinc contamination of soil is only seen in the vicinity of industrial point sources. Zinc is a relatively stable soft metal, although it burns in air. Zinc bioconcentrates in aquatic organisms. 

Pistocchi A, Vizcaino P, Hauck M (2009) A GIS model-based screening of potential contamination of soil and water by pyrethroids in Europe. J Environ Manage 90(11) 3410-3421... 

Cartwright B., Merry R.H., Tiller K.G. Heavy metal contamination of soils around a lead smelter at Port Pirie, South Australia. Aust J Soil Res. 1976 15 69-81. 

Treatment of dye-contaminated wastewater discharged from the textile and other dye-stuff industries is necessary to prevent contamination of soil and surface and ground water. Currently, there are several physicochemical and biological methods... 

Contamination (of soil, sediment and groundwater, in interaction with river... 

Merry, R.H., K.G. Tiller, and A.M. Alston. 1986. The effects of contamination of soil with copper, lead and arsenic on the growth and composition of plants. I. Effects of season, genotype, soil temperature and fertilizers. Plant Soil 91 115-128. 

Allen HE, Huang CP, Bailey GW, Bowers AR. Metal Spedation and Contamination of Soil. Boca Raton, FL CRC Press 1994. 

Contamination of soil often leads to a situation where the contaminants are not only in the soil but are also in the soil air. These can be analyzed using the same or similar methodologies that are used to analyze natural soil air constituents. 

Waste Dumping Syndrome Environmental degradation though (un) controlled disposal of waste Contamination of soils and groundwater, with harmful effects on drinking water, health hazards... 

Kerfoot, H. B. and Rong, Y., 1998, Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether Contamination of Soil and Groundwater Environmental Geosciences, Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 79-86. 

Lead contamination of soil is a result of introduction of trilead tetroxide, present in petrol and combustion gas. Lead may also be released from incorrectly enameled plates and old plumbing (Galal-Gorchev, 1993). Lead may accumulate in vegetables, fruit, and herbs. About 50% of the lead intake of children and 20% of intake by adults is absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. It is distributed through the human body via the bloodstream and is... 

Suppose EPA scientists are investigating lead contamination of soil near an abandoned mining and smelting operation. How should the soil be sampled so that the analytical results obtained on the individual samples provide a reliable indication of the range and distribution of contamination of the entire site ... 

Takijima Y, Katsumi F. 1973. Cadmium contamination of soils and rice plants caused by zinc mining. I. Production of high cadmium rice on the paddy fields in lower reaches of the mine station. Soil Science and Plant Nutrition 19 29-38. 

An application well-suited for IMS is the decommissioning and cleanup of sites where extensive manufacturing of explosives has taken place in the last century and where widespread contamination of soils and waters has occurred [74]. Decontamination of model metal scrap artificially contaminated with TNT and of decommissioned mortar rounds stiU containing explosives residue was followed by sampling surfaces with analysis by a portable mobility spectrometer. Mixed anaerobic microbial populations of bioslurries were employed in decontamination of scrap and the mortar rounds, and the IMS analyzer was seen as a sensitive field... 

A local contamination of soil with Pu isotopes and 241 Am from an (unexploded) atomic bomb impact was caused by collision of two US army aeroplanes during a mid-air refuelling operation in the Palomares area, southern Spain (details in Garcia-Olivares Iranzo 1997 Montero Sanchez 2001). The collision destroyed both planes and four thermonuclear bombs fell in the area, three onto the soil surface and one into the Mediterranean sea. Owing to the heavy impact, radioactive material was released into the environment, part of it as aerosols that were transported further downwind. In total, a region of 226 ha was contaminated from this accident. 

The extensive experience of growing microbes on synthetic chemicals has been exploited in attempts to reduce the chemical contamination of soils. If microbes can be grown on a synthetic chemical and if it is possible to multiply them in the laboratory, one should then be able to apply such cultures to the soil to enhance the natural populations in contaminated soils. However, this approach has had less success than might have been predicted. Why ... 

To eliminate contaminants of soil or waters with organic compounds which occasionally or constantly enter the environment, such as oils,... 

Kitunen, V. H., Valo, R.J. Salkinoja-Salonen, M. S. (1987). Contamination of soil around wood-preserving facilities by polychlorinated aromatic compounds. Environmental Science and Technology, 21, 96-101. 

Valo, R., Kitunen, V., Salkinoja-Salonen, M. S. Raisanen, S. (1984). Chlorinated phenols as contaminants of soil and water in the vicinity of two Finnish sawmills. Chemosphere, 13, 835-44. 

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