Soil Pollution Practice Questions

Presence of toxic chemicals, heavy metals, or pathogens in soil at concentrations that pose risk to health and ecosystems.

Excessive use of pesticides, herbicides, and synthetic fertilizers leads to accumulation.

Mercury contamination from industrial discharge bioaccumulates in fish, causing Minamata.

Cadmium from mining contaminated rice paddies.

West Bengal and Bihar Gangetic plains due to geogenic and anthropogenic sources.

Endosulfan and others; India banned 27 pesticides in 2020 including endosulfan already banned 2011.

Lead, mercury, cadmium, brominated flame retardants leach into soil.

Legacy leaded petrol, paint, battery recycling, industrial emissions.

Coal and metal mining exposes sulfides, forming sulfuric acid leaching metals.

Acidification, nitrate leaching, eutrophication downstream.

Poor irrigation drainage in arid regions leads to salt accumulation.

Microplastics from PE, PP, PVC persist centuries.

Progressive increase of pollutant concentration in organisms up food chain.

Plants to extract, degrade, or stabilize pollutants (e.g., mustard for lead).

Chinese brake fern (Pteris vittata) accumulates arsenic.

Microbial diversity, fertility, crop yield, and can contaminate food chain.

Leachate containing heavy metals, organics, pathogens.

Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016 under EPA 1986.

Heavy metals like mercury, arsenic, and alkalinity.

Bioremediation, phytoremediation, chemical oxidation done on site.

Acidic soil, often due to acid rain, fertilizers, mine drainage.

Persistence in soil, bioaccumulation, eggshell thinning in birds.

USA, Niagara Falls, chemical dumping in 1970s.

Methyl isocyanate and residues contaminated soil and groundwater.

Diverting organic waste from landfills, improving soil health.

Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) or ICP-MS.

Oil spills, refineries, petrol stations, pipelines.

Microorganisms to degrade organic pollutants like oil, pesticides.

Dioxins, PCBs, DDT persist long in soil.

Transporting contaminated soil to water bodies.

Heavy metals, pathogens, pharmaceuticals accumulation.

Informal recycling hubs like Delhi, Kolkata, Patna show high lead.

Tanneries, electroplating industries (e.g., Kanpur, Tamil Nadu).

Uptake of heavy metals and pesticides by crops.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) reduces chemical use.

Uranium mining areas in Jharkhand (Jaduguda), and nuclear sites.

Acidic soils contaminated by acid deposition or mine drainage.

Sodic/saline soils by replacing sodium with calcium.

Rice accumulates cadmium readily.

Leaching of pollutants through soil profile.

Lead, dioxins, PBDEs contamination (e.g., Seelampur, Moradabad).

Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016.

Earthworms break down organics, improve structure, reduce waste load.

Malwa belt shows high pesticide residues and heavy metals.

Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and State PCBs.

Using plants to immobilize pollutants in soil, preventing spread.

Organic compost (properly made) improves soil, not pollutant.

Pseudomonas, Alcanivorax species.

Ingestion of contaminated food, inhalation of dust, dermal contact.

Prevention: reduce use, proper waste management, sustainable agriculture.