mortiz085

Every time we buy vegetables in the market, we do not doubt the quality of these farm products. We think they are clean, safe, nutritious and good for our health. But the worsening environmental pollution due to the overuse and misuse of agricultural chemicals such as pesticides, the improper waste disposal, the manufacturing industry, and the transportation system may be affecting the quality of the food crops we eat everyday. Specifically, heavy metals most of which are toxic to humans at elevated concentrations, are starting to contaminate the vegetables we love to eat. The scientific principle is simple: a contaminated soil will generally produce contaminated crops. An interesting and very relevant student research conducted a few years ago revealed such alarming reality. Conducted to determine and compare the Pb, Cu and Zn contents of Alugbati ( Basella rubra ), Ampalaya ( Momordica charantia ), Kalabasa ( Cucurbita maxima ), Kangkong ( Ipomoea aquatica ), Pechay ( Brassica ra...

President Rodrigo R. Duterte emphasized the conduct of soil analysis in the country during his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 15, 2016. He said that “we shall also conduct a nationwide soil analysis to determine areas most suitable for rice farming to optimize production with the use of effective soil rehabilitation and fertilization.” As an effect of this presidential pronouncement, many people including professionals from various academic fields have been wondering what soil analysis is. Several readers of this blog suggested that I write about this topic hence, this article. Soil analysis refers to the measurement of soil physical, chemical, and biological properties. It is done, depending on the type of soil analysis, for the following purposes: 1) to evaluate the origin and formation of the soil; 2) to assess the level of contamination of the soil; 3) to characterize the soil as a habitat of soil organisms; 4) to assess the soil fertility status; and 5) to evalu...

Lead (Pb) has been known to be toxic since ancient times. It is a widespread contaminant in soils and Pb poisoning is one of the most prevalent public health problems in many parts of the world. It was the first metal to be linked with failures in reproduction. It can cross the placenta easily. It also affects the brain, causing hyperactivity and deficiency in the fine motor functions, thus, it results in damage to the brain. The nervous systems of children are especially sensitive to Pb leading to retardation. Pb is cardiotoxic and contributes to cardiomyopathy (disease of the heart muscle leading to the enlargement of the heart). Pb is released into the environment from the weathering of Pb-containing rocks, the industry, and the combustion of fossil fuels. Emissions from vehicles are thus a major source of environmental contamination by Pb especially in cities. Ona et al. (2006) conducted a study that looked into Pb pollution in selected urban areas in the Philippines with the f...

Phytoremediation refers to the use of higher plants to rehabilitate contaminated sites without the need to excavate the contaminant material and dispose of it elsewhere. The use of plants capable of taking up high amounts of metals has been proven effective in the rehabilitation of metal-contaminated soils. Plants are grown for a certain period of time and are then harvested and subjected to composting, compaction, incineration, ashing, pyrolysis, direct disposal or liquid extraction. In principle, the best plants for the purpose are those that can tolerate the polluted soil condition, can absorb high amounts of the contaminants, and have economic value (e.g. flowering plants) so that they can also be a source of income. Thus, selection of the suitable plant species is crucial to the success of any phytoremediation program. In a recent study by HY Lai of MingDao University and and ZS Chen of National Taiwan University published in the International Journal of Phytoremediation, 33 flowe...

The National Policy Agenda on the Revitalization of Mining in the Philippines in 2004 gives top priority to the remediation and rehabilitation of abandoned mining sites all over the country. Consequently, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has identified remediation and rehabilitation of several abandoned mining sites as one of its top priorities (MGB-MESD 2006). Among all abandoned mining sites throughout the country needing urgent rehabilitation, the Bagacay Mine ranks first (MGB-MESD 2006). Bagacay Mine, located at the border of a nature reserve in the western part of Samar Island, was formerly worked for the recovery of pyrite (FeS2) and copper (Cu) for nearly 50 years until its abandonment in 1992. It exhibits many environmental problems such as heavy metal pollution of soil and water and the formation of Acid Mine Drainage. Recent efforts to rehabilitate the area by re-vegetating it with introduced trees species such as mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), ma...

People living in areas with fertile soils are better nourished than those living in degraded soils due to the higher quantity and quality of food in the former than the latter. Likewise, people living in polluted environments are more exposed to the ill effects of pollutants. The paths of environmental contaminants leading to humans are the following ( Logan , 2000): a) Soil à crop à human b) Soil à livestock à human c) Soil à crop à livestock à human d) Soil à surface waters à fish à human e) Soil à groundwater à human f) Soil à air à human g) Soil à human The pathways a to e are indirect links between soil and human health and are relatively well-known. The pathways f and g are direct links and are little known and understood. Direct links between soils and human health is geophagy Humans ingest soil either involuntarily or deliberately. For the involuntary ingestion, every person ingests at least small quantities of soil. This is because any soil adhering to the skin of...