Land pollution offers a broad spectrum of threats to plants, animals and human health. The pollutants alter the soil composition, creating an unhealthy soil environment that leads to multiple infectious diseases.
Contaminants present in soil result in long term diseases like -
1. Cancer
Lung cancer can result from inhaling asbestos over a long time. Asbestos is a common soil contaminant. Inhaled asbestos reaches lungs, accumulating in the lung tissue for a long time which causes severe ailments like lung carcinoma, parenchymal asbestosis and pleural mesothelioma. Furthermore, dioxins are also responsible for contracting cancer.
2. Arsenicosis
Consuming arsenic for a long time results in chronic arsenic poisoning. Excess intake of arsenic also leads to gastrointestinal tract, liver, heart damage.
Drinking impure water is the primary source of arsenic. In addition, chronic exposure to it results in skin lesions like hyperpigmentation, keratosis etc.
3. Skeletal Fluorosis
Skeletal Fluorosis is a disease caused by land pollution. Fluoride present in the soil accumulates in the bone over a long time. Early symptoms include pain and stiffness in the joint. Crippling skeletal fluorosis includes osteosclerosis, calcification of tendons and ligaments and other bone deformities.
4. Kidney and Liver Damage
Presence of heavy metals like cadmium that reaches the human food chain causes kidney and liver damage. It also results in low bone density.
Cadmium ruptures the kidneys, resulting in excessive production of protein in urination. Consuming mercury also leads to liver and kidney damage and affects the central nervous system and our gastric system.
Furthermore, contaminants like dioxin, arsenic are toxic and carcinogenic, leading to reproductive and developmental damage. Developing fetuses are vulnerable to dioxin exposure and are highly affected by it. The presence of lead in the soil affects the nervous system, specifically that of children.
In addition to these, there are several short term effects of these harmful chemicals on the human body, including headaches, nausea and vomiting, irritation of skin and eyes, fatigue and weakness.