Human developmental activities always result to waste generation; that invariably pollute the environment, if not properly managed. The aim of this study is to determine soil quality around Odo Iya-Alaro at Ojota, Lagos. A total of 12 soil samples were collected from 0 -15 cm and 15- 30 cm at three different spots of 100 and 500 m (control) away from the bank of the river. Samples were analysed for pH, EC, NO3, TOC; Zn, Na, K, Ca, Mg, Cu, Fe, Cd, Cr, Ni, and Pb using standard analytical methods. The results were subjected to both differential and inferential statistics using statistical package (SPSS 22.0 version). Subsequently, the data were compared with Earth crust values. The soil pollution was evaluated using pollution, ecological risk, and geo-accumulation index. Cr (50.43), Ni (29.47), and Cu (104.10) mg/kg at 100 m were higher than their controls; (12.09), (8.14), and (86.06) mg/kg respectively, but lower than their respective Earth crusts; (100), (80) except (50) mg/kg. The soil was moderately polluted with pH (1.15), Na (3.00), K (2.11), Mg (1.87), Ca (1.26) and Cu (1.21); considerably polluted with EC (3.82), TOC (3.39), and Ni (3.62); and very highly polluted with Fe (8.26). Fe (711.73) had a very high ecological risk.  The Geo – accumulation index was moderately - strongly polluted with Zn (2.61), and very strongly polluted with pH (5.37), EC (14.90), NO3 (9.66), Na (15.41), K (11.31), Mg (9.51), Ca (17.08), Fe (15.32), Cu (12.54), Cr (8.67), and Ni (7.32). The soil was polluted. and urgently needs reclamation for Garden Park (relaxation).

Constructed wetland systems (CWs) are low-cost natural treatment systems for various types of influents. Although mainly the natural wetlands are soil-based, the constructed wetlands have been traditionally built using aggregate media. The performance of four types of available soils in Chhattisgarh was studied as the filter media in the horizontal subsurface flow-constructed wetland (HSFCW). Fourteen pilot-scale CW units with different soil types (entisol, vertisol, alfisol, inceptisol, and stone aggregate) and plant types (Canna indica and Typha latifolia) were used to treat domestic wastewater (WW). One set of each soil base reactor was planted with Canna indica and Typha latifolia, and one was kept blank (unplanted). All soils and plants are easily available.The reactors received primary wastewater in batch loads with WW loading for six hours to maintain aerobic conditions. The residence time of WW was 48 hours, and the applied hydraulic loading rate (HLR) was based on soil and aggregate. According to the findings, the planted HSFCW was more effective than the unplanted system. The results show that the wetland constructed on the treatment efficiency of the soil base has excellent potential to treat WW, with both plants.

Magnetic properties are used throughout the world to measure the concentration of (ferri) magnetic minerals in soil, sediment and dust. These minerals in soil come from a variety of sources, including air-borne particulate pollution, parent rock and paedogenesis. Changes in the content of magnetic minerals, as well as their spatial and vertical distribution in soil profiles are caused by human activity. Magnetic minerals are distinguished by their affinity for other elements found in soil, such as heavy metal. As a result, magnetic susceptibility has been widely used as an approximation of heavy metal contamination in soil. The current study was conducted in a tropical deciduous forest in Central Uttar Pradesh, namely the kukrail reserve forest in Lucknow to assess heavy metal contamination levels caused by various anthropogenic activities and to confirm the utility of using MS surveying in these types of studies. The current study was conducted at two sites viz. agricultural area and forest area because these sites are the most contaminated ones. Significant correlation between heavy metal concentration and magnetic susceptibility with p<0.005 is noticed for Co, Cr, Pb, Zn, Cu and Fe of agricultural area. Similarly in forest area significant correlation exists between Cr, Ni, Pb and Zn.  The χLF values show a significant correlation with the concentration of heavy metals except for Cu and Cr in forest area and Pb and Zn in agricultural area. In comparison to the methodologies of chemical analysis, the χLF measurement techniques provide us with lower cost and less time consuming method for identification of possible soil pollution.

Diazinon is an organophosphorus insecticide that was widely used in agriculture to control pests on crops. It acts as an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, which means that it interferes with the normal functioning of the nervous system of insects, leading to their death. Diazinon can also have an impact on human health and the environment, as it can contaminate water and soil and pose a risk to non-target species, including humans and animals. This review paper shows the progress made in the last years in analytical methods applied for the purpose of extraction, detection and degradation of Diazinon as an important environmental pollutant. A variety of sampling and analytical methods have been developed to measure diazinon and its metabolites in different media. The most popular methods for the identification and analysis of Diazinon are liquid and gas chromatography, liquid-liquid extraction, and solid-phase extraction (SPE). The focus of this review is on the identification, measurement, and elimination of diazinon as a major soil pollutant. It begins with a discussion of analytical techniques, followed by an examination of methods for removing diazinon from soil.

Radioactive contamination of the earth’s biosphere has always been a source of concern. From the health point of view, radiation exposure and dose delivered to human beings are of prime importance. Certain parts of coastal southwest districts of the state of Kerala in India namely Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), Kollam (Quilon) and Alappuzha (Alleppey) are known high background radiation areas (HBRA) owing to the presence of rich quantities of thorium and uranium. Surface soil samples from these districts' HBRAs and adjoining regions were studied for their primordial radionuclide levels using NaI(Tl) based gamma-ray spectrometry. Specific activities of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K nuclides in soil samples from the whole study area were between 4.7 Bq/kg to 130 Bq/kg, 6.5 Bq/kg to 611 Bq/kg and 101 Bq/kg to 1852 Bq/kg, respectively. Important dosimetric parameters namely radium equivalent activity (Raeq), absorbed gamma dose (D), Indoor and outdoor Annual Effective Dose equivalents (AEDin &amp; AEDout), internal and external hazard indices (Hin &amp; Hex) for gamma exposure, and Excess Lifetime Cancer Risk (ELCR) were also determined to assess probable health effects on human beings residing in these regions. A comparison of average specific radioactivities and average indoor annual effective doses between the HBRA and Normal background Radiation Area (NBRA) is presented. Results show that the neighbouring regions have considerably lower radiation dosimetric parameters.

International audience | In rural areas, nitrate concentrations in surface waters most often originate from the leaching of excess N fertilizer in agricultural lands, whereas forested catchments often have good water quality. However, Douglas-fir plantations may induce nitrogen cycle unbalances which may lead to an excess of nitrate production in the soil. We hypothesize that the excess of production of nitrate in the soil and nitrate leaching to streamwater is greater in catchments planted with Douglas fir. We used paired catchments in both France and Luxembourg with different land covers (Douglas-fir, Spruce, Deciduous, Grassland and clearcut) which were monitored over a 3-5 year period in order to assess the effect of Douglas-fir plantations on the chemical composition of surface water. Nitrate concentration in the soil and groundwater were also monitored. The results show that nitrate concentrations in streams draining Douglas-fir catchments were two to ten times higher than in streams draining other land covers, but were similar to the clearcut catchment. Nitrate concentrations under Douglas-fir in groundwater (up to 50 mg L-1) and in the soil were also higher than under all other land covers. Soil nitrate concentration was related to stream nitrate concentration. This suggests that soil processes, through excessive nitrate production under Douglas-fir, are driving the nitrate concentration in the stream water and our hypothesis of a transfer of a fairly large proportion of this excessive production from the soil to the stream is supported. This study also shows that nitrate concentrations in surface and ground waters in rural areas could also originate from Douglas fir forested catchments. The impact of Douglas-fir is nevertheless reduced downstream through a dilution effect: mixing tree species at the catchment scale could thus be a solution to mitigate the effect of Douglas-fir on nitrate concentration in surface waters.

The occurrence of heavy metals in soil and selected edible plants (Manihot esculenta, Dioscorea rotundata, Ipomoea batatas, Telfairia occidentalis, and Chromolaena odorata) in the vicinity of major Lead-Zinc mining sites in Ebonyi State, Nigeria was investigated. The concentrations of the detected heavy metals in soil from the study sites ranged from 0.38-77830.99 (mg.kg-1). The limit values for all detected metals in soil from the mining sites were exceeded in most instances. The results showed that the plant species accumulated heavy metals near the mining sites to varying levels in their shoots and roots. The limit values for all detected heavy metals in the edible plants were not exceeded except in a few instances. The plant species demonstrated varying effectiveness for phytoextraction, indicating their appropriateness in the phytoremediation of heavy metal-contaminated soil. Therefore, examining the environmental consequences of uncontrolled mining activity in the vicinity of the mining sites with a scientific approach has helped to increase our knowledge of the pollution problem in the mining sites, reveal the ferocity of the situation, and contribute to the techniques presently in use for monitoring chemical pollution in a mining-impacted ecosystem.