Many factors affect soil quality, including the past and current land use and activities as well as proximity to pollution sources. Some of the land uses and activities which may lead to soil contamination are:
- Fuel storage (including service stations)
- Chemical manufacturing or storage (including the production of pesticides)
- Power stations
- Gasworks
- Agricultural use
- Large industrial facilities
- Timber treatment
- Sheep dipping
- Historic mining
Lead, arsenic and cadmium are some of the contaminants that can be found in soil. Other contaminants include organochlorine pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, cadmium and mercury.
Exposure to soil contaminants
You can be exposed by:
- Directly ingesting dirt by mouth-to-hand contact, or when eating homegrown produce that has not been washed or peeled
- Inhaling or ingesting dust
- Direct skin contact with contaminated soil.
- For Soil Remediation, contact https://soilfix.co.uk/services/soil-and-groundwater-remediation
You may be at risk of harm from soil contaminants depending on:
- The type of contamination
- The level of contamination in the soil
- The amount of dirt and dust you have eaten
- Your weight and age
- The length of exposure to soil.
Health effects of soil contaminants
Health effects can vary depending on the soil contaminants present. It is impossible to describe all the contaminants in soil and their hazards due to the number.
Reducing exposure to soil contaminants
You can easily take these simple steps:
- Cover the soil with grass or other groundcover plants and clean soil to reduce dust. This will also keep soil out of reach of children. Do not let your children play on the bare soil.
- Prevent children from putting soil in their mouths.
- Do not put soil contaminated in your child’s play sand.
- Before eating or sleeping, wash your hands.
- Hands of young children should be washed often.
- Wash outdoor toys of children often.
- Wash your family pets frequently.
- Remove your shoes before entering your home to prevent bringing soil dust inside, especially if you have babies or small children in your household.
- Use a dampened cloth to dust and mop frequently. Vacuum cleaners (unless they have a HEPA-filter) and brooms can actually spread dust.
- Mats should be placed at the entrance and exit doors to stop soil from being tracked into the home.
- If possible, leave shoes outside.
- Avoid digging in soils with known high levels of contaminants. If the soil isn’t disturbed, contaminants in the soil that are a metre under the surface shouldn’t be a problem.
- When eating home-grown fruits and vegetables, wash them thoroughly to remove any soil. Peel the skin from root vegetables.