Environmental Health – Soil Pollution

Environmental Health – Soil Pollution

The Impact and Prevalence of Soil Pollution

Soil pollution through landfills and chemicals remains a major concern in the community and the environment. The presence of dangerous substances in the soil can cause different health effects, such as respiratory diseases, skin diseases, or cancer. Some chemicals that are often found in polluted soils include heavy metals, pesticides, and industrial wastes, among others, which can be transmitted through contact with the skin, consumption of contaminated food or water, and breathing in polluted air (Alengebawy et al., 2021). Today, soil pollution has become a common phenomenon in developed and developing countries and is experienced in both urban and rural areas. The following are some of the sources of this environmental problem: Many industries, poor ways of disposing of waste, and unclean methods of farming. From the WHO (World Health Organization) data, it is evident that contaminated soil is among the leading causes of diseases in the world, hence the need to provide solutions.

Current and Needed Interventions to Address Soil Pollution

Soil pollution control can be achieved through legislation, biological treatment methods, or public education. To prevent the creation, treatment, moving, keeping, and disposal of dangerous waste, laws such as the RCRA in the United States are set up to discourage polluting the soil. Bioremediation and phytoremediation are two of the remediation technologies used in the process of cleaning up polluted places. Bioremediation involves the use of microorganisms to break down pollutants, while phytoremediation is the use of plants to extract pollutants in the soil (Raklami et al., 2022). Awareness creation involves educating the community on the causes of soil pollution and measures that may be taken to prevent pollution.

Thus, additional steps need to be taken to enhance the effectiveness of preventing and combating soil pollution. To begin with, the level of soil contamination can be reduced through measures such as amending the current legislation so as to regulate the activity of companies and individuals, improve waste disposal methods, and ensure the support of ecological approaches in the framework of AIC. In addition, using complex technologies for remediation and increasing research expenditures on soil pollution can help find improved solutions. The above interventions require the support of the community and stakeholders such as the government, NGOs, and the private sector.

Agencies and Organizations Addressing Soil Pollution and Monitoring Compliance with Safety Standards

Different agencies and organizations are concerned with soil pollution and the enforcement of safety standards. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is central to hazardous waste regulation and controlling the remediation of contaminated soil. Second, the CDC tracks the effects of polluted soil on people and investigates this issue to develop recommendations for policies. Additionally, at the international level, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) strives to increase public awareness of sustainable environmental policies and combat soil pollution (UNEP, 2023). Moreover, a large number of non-governmental organizations, including the EDF and the NRDC, demand higher levels of environmental legislation and join efforts with communities to address the issue of polluted soils.

Local, National, and Global Strategies to Protect the Public From the Threat of Soil Pollution

Several approaches have been adopted at local, national, and international levels to safeguard the public from the menace of soil pollution. At the local level, communities develop waste management that includes recycling and disposal of compost, as well as hazardous wastes, in a way that does not pollute the soil (Abubakar et al., 2022). It also helps in the regeneration of contaminated land, for instance, through urban gardening projects in the communities.

Nationally, governments prescribe laws that control the employment and discharge of unsafe materials. For example, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as the Superfund program, was enacted to address the cleanup of hazardous waste sites in the United States (US EPA, 2019). National action plans may also contain systems for monitoring and reporting the state of pollution in the soil and evaluating the measures that have been taken.

Globally, conventions and cooperation are important for managing contaminated soils because pollutants are not bordered by geographic boundaries and can flow through the air and water (Maddela et al., 2022). An example of an international agreement to limit the emission of dangerous substances is the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. In addition, current global frameworks such as the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) focus on sustainable land management and pollution and their impacts on human health and the surrounding environment.

Conclusion

Contamination of soil through landfills and chemicals has become a common problem in society, and thus, several approaches will have to be taken to solve the problem. The solution to this problem requires proper interventions, strict policies, and the participation of broad agencies and organizations. If all stakeholders at the individual, community, national, and international levels embrace strategies of pollution control, the adverse impacts of polluted soil can be prevented, and therefore, accord future generations a healthy environment.

References

Abubakar, I. R., Maniruzzaman, K. M., Dano, U. L., AlShihri, F. S., AlShammari, M. S., Ahmed, S. M. S., Al-Gehlani, W. A. G., & Alrawaf, T. I. (2022). Environmental sustainability impacts of solid waste management practices in the global south. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(19), 12717. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9566108/

Alengebawy, A., Abdelkhalek, S. T., Qureshi, S. R., & Wang, M.-Q. (2021). Heavy metals and pesticides toxicity in agricultural soil and plants: Ecological risks and human health implications. Toxics, 9(3), 42. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics9030042

Maddela, N. R., Ramakrishnan, B., Kakarla, D., Venkateswarlu, K., & Megharaj, M. (2022). Major contaminants of emerging concern in soils: A perspective on potential health risks. RSC Advances, 12(20), 12396–12415. https://doi.org/10.1039/d1ra09072k

Raklami, A., Meddich, A., Oufdou, K., & Baslam, M. (2022). Plants—microorganisms-based bioremediation for heavy metal cleanup: Recent developments, phytoremediation techniques, regulation mechanisms, and molecular responses. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(9), 5031. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23095031

UNEP. (2023). About the United Nations Environment Programme. UNEP – UN Environment Programme. https://www.unep.org/who-we-are/about-us

US EPA. (2019, May 14). Superfund: CERCLA overview | US EPA. US EPA. https://www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-cercla-overview

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The relationship between the environment and physical health is both dynamic and complex. From the air you breathe, to the water you drink, the food you eat, and the physical environment where you reside, each day your life is touched by environmental factors. In fact, most current models describing our determinants of health integrate the impact of the environment on our health and well-being. Furthermore, best practices in the area of health promotion and prevention incorporate an ecological component.

Environmental Health – Soil Pollution

Local and state health departments, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), local and state legislature, as well as federal agencies, strive to identify and mitigate environmental health threats within the nation. In this forum, you will delve into a selected environmental health concern in order to identify the impact of that issue on the health of the population. Additionally, you will explore specific health policy initiatives and regulatory statutes that serve to protect the public and reduce the risk of diseases related to environmental health issues.

Upon successful completion of the course material, you will be able to:

Discuss the impact of the environment on population health status.
Identify health-related policies and legislative regulations designed to enhance health and minimize the risk of disease within the population.

Resources
Textbook: Community as Partner: Theory and Practice in Nursing
Textbook: Public Health Nursing: Population-centered Health Care in the Community
Optional Resources

Website: Healthy People 2020
Website: Healthy People 2030
Website: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Textbook: Kleiber, J. & Cohen, B. (2020, April). Reducing Waste and Increasing Sustainability in Health Care Settings. Changing the Way Plastic Medical Waste is Used and Disposed of. American Journal of Nursing, 120(4).
Background Information
This discussion is based on the environmental health issue you selected in 3.5 Discussion: Environmental Health Issue Selection(new tab).

Instructions
Review the appropriate rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.
Read Chapter 6 in the textbook, Public Health Nursing: Population-centered Health Care in the Community.
Prepare to discuss the following prompts:
In your own words, summarize the impact and prevalence of this environmental concern on the health of the population.
Define the interventions which are currently in place to address this issue, and additional interventions which may be needed to protect the public from this environmental concern.
What agencies or organizations are in place to address this concern, or monitor compliance with safety standards and preventive measures?
Identify local, national, and global strategies to protect the public from this environmental health threat
Research and select at least two current scholarly sources to support your explanations and insights. OCLS resources are preferred sources and can be accessed through IWU Resources(new tab). Wikipedia is not permitted, as it is not a peer-reviewed, scholarly source.
As time allows, review the following optional resources:
Visit the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences website(new tab).
Download the Healthy People 2020 Framework pdf on this website(new tab).
Review Development of the National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives for 2030(new tab).

Environmental health issue selected in 3.5 Discussion: Soil pollution i.e. landfills, chemicals