Defining Soil and Water Contamination

The situation of soil and water contamination arises when toxic substances that do not break down naturally enter the environment. The contamination of ground water increases the health risk for the businesses and families dependent on it for drinking, cooking and bathing. When contaminated water deposits toxic chemicals in the soil resulting to the exposure through vegetables grown in that soil, skin contact and inhalation of dust increases the chances of such exposure. The various sources of water and soil contamination are factories and plant, dry cleaners and rail yards and gas station and refineries. As there are many side effects of water and soil contamination, it is impossible to list all of them. Cancers, kidney and liver damage, lung diseases, neurological damage, birth defects and various stomach ailments are few effects of such contamination.

The groundwater contamination occurs when individuals have their own well. In such a situation the chemicals released by responsible party contaminates the ground aquifer. Now these released chemicals takes the form of plumes and infiltrates other sources of well water. The individuals are exposed to these chemicals through skin contact (bathing), ingestion (drinking) and inhalation (steam).

Chemicals also cause soil contamination. It occurs due to groundwater contamination and due to contaminated streams and other water bodies that are exposed to soil. These water bodies can be contaminated with chemicals and heavy metals. People are exposed to soil contamination in the following ways:

Inhalation (dust in the environment)
Skin Contact (gardening or walking barefoot on the soil)
Ingestion (through eating vegetables grown in contaminated soil)

As there are many sources of soil contamination, it is impossible to enlist all of them. Below is the list of few sources of soil contamination:

1. Land Fills
2. Machine shops
3. Chemical waste storage facilities
4. Oil refineries incinerators
5. Gasoline
6. Railroad yards and other rail related work sites
7. Dry-cleaning stores
8. Chemical manufacturing plants
9. Any manufacturing plant using cleaning solvents or products based on gasoline

Diseases caused by Soil and Water Contamination

Soil and water contamination causes many hazardous health diseases. Almost everybody is exposed to such contamination in one or the other way. Continuous exposure to small amount of dangerous chemicals results into chronic health disease. Cancer, kidney and liver damage, lung disease, nervous system disorder and stomach ailments are few examples of chronic health diseases. However, it is impossible to list all potential diseases caused by chemicals, the list below includes the names of the diseases caused by such contamination:

1. Renal effects (kidney failure including blood and other urine problems and other diseases related to kidney).
2. Different types of learning disability (LD, ADD, and ADHD)
3. Various neurological effects including reflex malfunction, headaches and nervous system failure or disorder)
4. Cardiac problems
5. Teratogenic effects (effect on fetus when mother is exposed to such contamination)
6. Gastrointestinal effects (various stomach ailments)
7. Cardiac problems
8. Respiratory problems
9. Hepatic problems (liver diseases)

Different forms of cancer including skin, brain, lymphoma, kidney, lung, liver, leukemia and bladder cancer.