Soil contamination

Soil contamination is the presence of harmful substances in soil at concentrations that threaten human health, ecosystems, or soil functions.

Soil pollution: Degradation of soil quality through contaminants or other harmful changes. This broader concept includes contamination alongside physical and biological forms of soil degradation.
Environmental site assessment: A process for identifying contamination and evaluating environmental risks at a property. Site assessment establishes whether suspected soil contamination is present.
Love Canal: A Niagara Falls neighborhood built near a buried chemical-waste site and associated with a major pollution controversy. The case brought buried waste and residential exposure to national attention.
Heavy metal toxicity: Harmful biological effects caused by exposure to toxic metals at sufficient doses. Metal-contaminated soil can expose organisms to toxic elements such as lead and cadmium.
Soil erosion: The removal and transport of soil by water, wind, or other forces. Erosion is physical soil loss, unlike contamination by harmful substances.
Soil sorption: The attachment of dissolved substances to soil particles and organic matter. Sorption can immobilize pollutants or store them for later release.
Soil sampling: The collection of soil portions for physical, chemical, or biological analysis. Sampling design determines whether testing represents contamination across a site.
Minamata disease: A neurological disorder caused by severe methylmercury exposure, first recognized in Japan's Minamata Bay region. It shows how industrial releases can contaminate environments and expose communities through food.
Bioaccumulation: The buildup of a substance in an organism when uptake exceeds elimination. Some soil contaminants accumulate in plants and animals that contact or consume them.
Soil salinization: The accumulation of soluble salts in soil to levels that impair soil or plant function. Salinity can damage soil without introducing toxic pollutants.

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