2E4 - Group 1 - Soil Pollution (or land pollution) in China

The Problem 

About 1/5th of China's soil is contaminated with toxic substances such as Cadmium, Nickel, Arsenic, Lead and Mercury. Soil pollution in especially severe in the major industrial zones, in the Northeast area of China, the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta. 

The Causes 

• Improper waste disposal of industrial waste from many years of extensive industrial development 
• Improper disposal of waste from mining activities, land near abandoned mining sites is polluted. 
• Excessive use of chemical pesticides and fertilisers in agricultural areas 

• Irrigation of agricultural land using polluted water (water pollution can also lead to soil pollution) 
• Lack of strict environmental laws to curb the activities which lead to soil pollution 

The Effects 

Food crops grown on contaminated land will absorb the toxic substances. 
e.g. Rice with high levels of Cadmium from Southern province of Hunan 
Cadmium can cause kidney damage and is cancer-causing. 
Arsenic can cause skin lesions and skin cancer 

If the food crops are eaten by other animals, the toxic substances will be passed down the food chain. This affects the animals in the food chain and the people who consume such animals. It will be difficult to pinpoint which food is contaminated and which is not. 

Crops cannot grow well as pollutants decrease the ability of soil to retain nutrients and the fertility of soil decreases. 

Health hazards to people who live near areas of soil pollution by breathing in or having skin contact with the pollutants

Pollutants in the soil can seep into the ground water and contaminate ground water sources (soil pollution can cause water pollution) 

Lack of pollutant-free, arable land for agriculture will lead to food shortage for China's growing population 

Affect China's economy as the agricultural sector will be affected with diminishing agricultural land, fewer crops to sell in the markets and export overseas. Livelihoods of farmers are affected. 
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References 

• http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/indepth/2014-04/17/c_133270984.htm
• http://www.thewire.com/global/2014/04/one-fifth-of-chinas-farmland-is-polluted/360873/
• http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/31/world/asia/good-earth-no-more-soil-pollution-plagues-chinese-countryside.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
• http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/millions-of-acres-of-china-farmland-too-polluted-to-grow-food-1.2479102
• http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/04/11/china-pollution-soil-idINDEEA3A05J20140411
• http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304626304579507040557046288
• http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1486401/area-chinas-polluted-soil-twice-size-spain-survey-reveals