Māris kļaviņŠ, azamat azizov, JĀnis zaļoksnis environment, pollution, development: the case of uzbekistan

Figure 9.2. 
Soil 
contamination in central 
and northern Europe 
after the Chernobyl 
nuclear disaster

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9. POLLUTION OF SOIL 
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as pumping them more than a kilometre in depth may limit the 
immediate effect of pollutants, but the consequences of such action 
may become manifest in the future.
Significant soil contamination can occur as a result of agri cul-
tural activities, especially due to the use of incorrect methods. Agri-
cultural activities may lead to contamination of the soil with bio genic 
elements, residue of crop protection products. This type of exposure 
can completely destroy soil fauna. 
It is believed that the soils can have quite a significant impact 
on human health. Soil composition may affect the plant composition 
growing in it, and therefore the human food composition. The soil 
content affects the amounts of microelements consumed by humans 
with food. The example of such microelements is selenium, whose 
deficit or overly high amounts in human nutrition can cause specific 
diseases.  Similarly,  fluorine,  arsenic  and  boron  content  in  the  soil 
can have a significant impact on the health of animals and humans 
living in the respective region. There is evidence that the prevalence 
of gastric cancer in certain cases is linked to the characteristics of 
soil composition.
The pollution of the very outer layer of Earth’s crust is mainly 
due to mining activities as a result of which man removes chemical 
elements from the interiar of the Earth in the form of minerals, and 
in the course of recycling, incineration or other processes in the form 
of  pollution  returns  them  into  the  Earth’s  crust.  As  a  result,  soil, 
ground, groundwater properties and chemical composition change, 
which in turn affects the processes in the biosphere, the quality of 
drinking water and food. 
Hydrocarbons
13%
Organohalogens
13%
Polyaromatic 
hydrocarbons
16%
Oil products
20%
Heavy 
metals
31%
Cyanides
1%
Phenol
1%
Other
5%
The second most important cause of pollution is the substances 
synthesized by humans themselves (such as pesticides) that do not 
occur as a result of natural processes under natural conditions. 
In most cases they cause much larger problems to human living