The Effects Of Soil Contamination On The Environment

Soil pollution also referred to as soil contamination occurs when degradation or destruction of the earth’s surface and soil occurs directly or indirectly as a result of human activities. As Americans we tend to abuse the use of things such as cars for driving, books, paper, and computers without the knowledge of where it will end up. According to the food and Agriculture Organization approximately 40 percent of food in the U.S. goes to waste. After the garbage man has taken the materials, it ends up in a huge or small landfill waiting to be emerged into the soil. The average person generates

Bioremediation is the use of bacteria, fungi, some types of transformed bacteria, and other microbes in the decomposition of garbage and breaking down of petroleum products. An example of where a transformed bacteria was used to reduce pollution is seen when scientists broke down naphthalene, an environmental pollutant found in soils that are artificially created, by using genetically altered pseudomonas fluorescents. This bacteria is stimulated to uptake the gene for fluorescence so that when it breaks down the naphthalene it produces light. The light produced depends on the amount of chemical the bacteria breaks down, allowing scientists to monitor the efficiency of the process. The Exon-Valdez oil spill is a famous example that involves the use of transformed bacteria that was genetically engineered to breakdown hydrocarbons in

(I) Motor oil range organics is performed if the source of the petroleum hydrocarbons in soil is from heavy petroleum fractions. This includes hydraulic fluids, motor oils, lubricating oils, cutting oils, mineral oils, and transmission fluids. The samples will need to be analyzed for the following: benzo[a]anthracene, benzo[a]pyrene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[k]fluoranthene, chrysene, dibenzo[a,h]anthracene, indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene, acenaphthene, anthracene, fluoranthene, fluorene, pyrene, and total petroleum hydrocarbons. Similar to residual range organics (C25-C36).

Contaminated land has been perceived as the occurrence of relatively rare, but potentially catastrophic incidents, with unforeseen and poorly understood consequences for human health, communities (Verplanken, 1990) and the environment, for example Barnes et al (2002); Levine (1982). Currently, contamination represents a widespread infrastructural problem of varied intensity and significance (Nathanail, 2004). Mass industrialisation and the technological advancements seen throughout much of Europe and North America during the 20th century can be characterised by disproportionately large increase in emissions of contaminants into the environment, where soil is often the ultimate sink

There are many ecological problems facing us in the United States today. Among those issues includes global warming, our dependence on fossil fuel, saving our endangered wildlife, and ensuring that we have safe and sufficient water. There is one environmental issue, however, that streams across all these areas, and threatens the safety of our country, and of many bodies of water all over the world, and that is the issue of Oil Spills. An oil spill can be defined as, “an unintentional release of crude oil or refined oil products into the environment.” Oil spills are considered to be a major source of chemical pollution. Most of these spills occur through human error, however, there are cases where oil seeps through deposits under the ocean floor. These spills can occur on land, in the ocean, and even when oil is spilled down storm drains that lead directly into lakes and rivers. Not only do oil spills threaten to destroy our ecosystem and endanger our wildlife, oil spills can be harmful to human beings as well. The reason that this is so stems from the fact that oil itself is considered to be “semi-volatile.” This means that it can evaporate into the air and create a heavy vapor which lingers and can be breathed in by humans, and can travel deeply into people’s lungs. This can in turn cause many health issues such as nausea, vomiting, headaches, and even difficulty breathing. Over an even longer period of time, the chemicals that are found in oil, and that are evaporated into

Even though the nature of the two spills and the environments impacted were vastly different. These oil degrading indigenous microorganisms played a significant role in reducing the overall environmental impact of both the Exxon Valdez and BP Deepwater Horizon oil spills. When oil is highly dispersed in the water column and where microbial populations are well adapted to hydrocarbon exposure, such as in the Gulf of Mexico waters, oil proceeds very rapidly. Once the BP Deepwater Horizon oil leak began, the public and media started to compare it to the Exxon Valdez spill which had been up until that time the largest marine spill in

Bioremediation was a major approach in removing the oil following the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the spill most known for the considerable impact it had on the wildlife of Alaska and the extensive repair measures that followed. The world production of crude oil is more than three billion tons per year, and nearly half of this is transported by sea. Consequently, the international transport of petroleum by tankers is frequent. Bioremediation is the use of microbes, or naturally occurring organisms, to break down harmful pollutants. The bioremediation process was proven to be the most effective due to the microorganism’s ability to degrade the hydrocarbons found in oil. Microbes capable of degrading oil are primarily bacteria or fungi and basically

There are many sources of contamination from oil and gas production wells. Production wells are used to extract oil and natural gas from deep rock formations. To drill a well, a bit is drilled into the deep rock formations that contain natural gas and oil. As the bit is lowered, fluid and mud that contain chemical additives, is shot down with it to keep it cool. Rock debris, known as cuttings, are created and pulled up along with fluids to the surface. At the surface they are flared. Air contamination comes from exhaust fumes from the equipment as well as venting and flaring of natural gas. Soil contamination comes from on-site storage pits holding onto cuttings/mud. Sludge pits can leach out and cause water contamination nearby.

Crude oil can be refined to produce many kinds of combustible fuels (International Agency for Research on Cancer. 1989), but when introduced to the environment it can be harmful. Some of the major ill-effects are the decrease in growth or death of some plant life and organisms. Seed germination can also be affected by the introduction of crude oil to the surrounding soil (Henner et al., 1999). When crude oil is introduced to water in high concentrations, the growth of organisms are effected in a negative way and can cause plants to stop undergoing photosynthesis and death can ensue (Pulich et al., 1974).

Parks talked about the aftermath of an oil spill. “whenever oil spills into a body of water, it spreads quickly forming what is known as oil sick.” What I found interesting is that “nature starts to react immediately” for example, some of the oil evaporates into the atmosphere. I learned about different words such as weathering, biodegrade, and microorganisms. Weathering happens when a chemical and physical changes start to take place. “Then wind, waves, and sunlight begin breaking the oil down and it starts to biodegrade. This means that microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi feed on it. I learned that “depending on the strength of the wind, as well as tides and currents, the slicks often drift.” Because oil slicks can travel very fast it is “important for them to be contained as soon as possible.” The effects of an oil spill will depend on a variety of factors including, the quantity and type of oil spilled, and how it interacts with the marine environment. Prevailing weather conditions will also influence the oil’s physical characteristics and its behavior. Other key factors include the biological and ecological attributes of the area; the ecological significance of key species and their sensitivity to oil pollution as well as the time of year. It is important to remember that the clean-up techniques selected will also have a bearing on the environmental effects of a

Oil spills can be fixed, but oftentimes put so much pollution into the environment that no solution can take place quickly enough to stop the damages. Sunlight can help degrade some of the oil if exposed for long enough. (Sadd 3) In his article, Sadd also states that sometimes microorganisms act as “oil-eating” creatures through a process called natural biodegrading. (3) In most cases the remainder of the oil will wash up on coasts across the country, which can still cause

The environmental impact of an oil spill can last for decades. In 1969, an oil tanker ran aground in Buzzard's Bay Massachusetts, spilling 175,000 gallons of diesel fuel into the marine ecosystem. According to Dr. Judy McDowell and Christopher Reddy, two scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, it took about a decade for the normal inhabitants of the bay to return. What's more troubling, is that even 40 years later, soil samples still reek of diesel fuel (Guarino & Spotts, 2010, p. 2). This kind of damage can have an irreparable effect on the gulf states' economies. If it takes 10

The main question that I will be exploring is whether bacterial isolates are capable of breaking down specific hydrocarbons and how environmental factors control this process. I first wanted to touch of the background of hydrocarbon degraders in general. They were only discovered about a century ago and not a lot of bacteria are classified as capable of breaking down hydrocarbons, only about 80 or so. Hydrocarbon degradation in the environment is typically limited by the bioavailability of nutrients, such as iron or phosphorous. The bioavailability of the hydrocarbons themselves is also an important limiting factor in biodegradation. Crude oil contains thousands of hydrocarbons all with different physical and chemical properties.

In the United States, more than 50 percent of oil used is imported from other countries, and is shipped over by large tanker ships (Energy Quest 2012). Petroleum is made into various products such as gasoline/ diesel fuel, home heating oil, fertilizers, and plastic products (Energy Quest 2012). 74 percent of our oil is used for transportation including, trucks, buses, cars, and planes (Energy Quest 2012). Drilling of the oil is a costly process and has severe effects to the environment. Drilling on land requires a lot of space, disturbing the natural animal habitats, while drilling at sea impacts surrounding marine life (ELI 2015). Petroleum is toxic and not biodegradable, so when oil spills at sea, oil slick spreads rapidly over the water killing vast numbers of marine plants and animals (ELI 2015). Refineries emit toxins into the air and water supply as petroleum is processed to a usable oil, as it is used, petroleum products are emitted into the air contributing to global warming (ELI 2015). Additionally, other by-products have been linked to respiratory illness as well as heart disease in humans (ELI 2015).

If there is any automobile industries and machine repair shops nearby then Petroleum products , PAHs, trichloroethylene, rubber products, metals like chromium , lead , molybdenum and used batteries will be dumped to the soil and the soil will be contaminated due to that.