Awareness of Soil Pollution among adolescents in Bengaluru city, Karnataka

Abstract

Soil pollution is defined as the presence of toxic chemicals (pollutants or contaminants) in soil, in high enough concentrations to pose a risk to human health and/or the ecosystem. When the amounts of soil contaminants exceed natural levels than what is naturally present in various soils, pollution is generated. There are two main causes through which soil pollution is generated: anthropogenic (man-made) causes and natural causes. Soil pollution consists of pollutants and contaminants. The main pollutants of the soil are the biological agents and some of the human activities. Soil contaminants are all products of soil pollutants that contaminate the soil. Human activities that pollute the soil range from agricultural practices that infest the crops with pesticide chemicals to urban or industrial wastes or radioactive emissions that contaminate the soil with various toxic substances. The study was envisaged with the objectives to assess the adolescents’ awareness regarding soil pollution; and to determine the adolescents’ sources of information about soil pollution. The survey method and the questionnaire were the tools utilized. A sample of 625 adolescents were selected for the study. Salient findings revealed that most of the adolescents were aware of soil pollution, and most of them had adequate knowledge about deforestation as well as the different measures to overcome soil pollution. Most adolescents acquired awareness through newspapers and from school syllabus.