The following questions are posed to help you explore your understanding.
Some questions provide answers after you have attempted to answer them.
Other questions are open ended and designed to stimulation discussion.
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Choose one of the examples of soil contamination listed in the table.
| When | Where | What |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Montana, U.S.A. | Due to a collapsed bridge, a train carrying molten sulfur, asphalt, sodium hydrogen sulfate was derailed. |
| 1974 | Sudbury, Canada | The presence of a nickel-copper smelter has contaminated soil with a range of heavy metals. |
| 2009 | Punjab region, India | Uranium poisoning |
| 1942 | Gruinard Is. Scotland | Anthrax spore contamination |
| Last 100 years | Everywhere | Microplastics are found in soil, especially where sewage sludge is used as a soil fertilizer |
- What was the pollutant in the soil?
- Was was the effect of the pollutant on the soil? and the rest of the ecosystem?
- How was it dealt with in terms of remediation?
- Who, if anyone, was held responsible for the contamination?
- How was the incident brought to the public's attention?
- Were any steps taken to ensure this type of contamination would not happen again?
Q5
What is the current major threat to soils in your area? If there is more than one, select one.
- What problems is it causing? Are some groups of people more effected than others?
- What do scientists think is causing it?
- How are the media reporting on it?
- What are politicians doing about it?
- What are environment groups doing about it?
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