Figures showing the quantities of chemicals and bad stuff thrown on land and soils are staggering and very frightening. Yet, 40 per cent of food in the United States today goes uneaten. Author Dana Gunders, Natural Resources Defense Council. It is indeed sickening to think that we can actually destroy the environment in the name of feeding humanity when many look on as we waste all that we grow.
Land pollution is an environmental issue that is down to humans actions with economic activities such as manufacturing, farming, construction and industry.
Anything humans do that result in the deterioration or destruction of a piece of land, in terms of its nutrients, landscape, uses and in general its ability to support life forms is land pollution. It is not the same as land degradation even though they are related.
Soil pollution always goes hand in hand with land pollution. This includes the destruction of soil value as a result of short-term to the long-term discharge of toxic compounds, salts and chemicals, as well as radioactive materials that have harmful consequences in plant and soil animal health. Soils, especially the thin layer of organic and inorganic matter covering the land tends to be the most affected by pollutants, as they are the first point of contact. Soil contamination and soil pollution do not mean the same thing. We say contamination when there is a concentration of a substance in the soil than would naturally occur. This substance may be nutrient, pesticide, and organic chemical or acidic compound.
Land pollution is typically caused by the disposal of solid and liquid waste. It also results from mining activities as well as agricultural activities involving the use of pesticides, fertilizers and insecticides. This has consequences to human health, plant and soil health as well as indirect effects on the water table and ecosystems.