Do Gas Stations Cause Soil Pollution?

Air
pollution

Pollution

Soil Water
pollution pollution

Name: Rifat Kabir Teacher: Ms. Kolla

Class: Global Environment Period: 1

Abstract :

Soil are one of the major part in our ecosystem. They are home to many

microorganisms whilst they are vital nutrients for autographs as well. Soil pollution can

led to both water then air pollution. So to begin with what is pH? it is the measure of

acidity of a solution, and most organism have a very small range of pH values in which

they can survive. 7 in pH consider as the neutral (water) and anything lower than 7

would be acidic (such as lemon juice, rain water) and anything above 7 would regard as

basic (such as bleach and soap). So in our world there are lots of urban areas that are

dependent on car transportation, and at the present time most of our automobiles are

run on gasoline. It has already been recognized that burning fossil fuels like gasoline,

produces green house effect gases that give warming to our atmosphere and

byproducts on the other hand have been led to various diseases (such as asthma and

cancers etc). So therefore this project will display how gas station also pollute the soil

around them and how this soil pollution will cause to other pollution. This project will

also talk about how pollution impact people and other living organisms. This experiment

also displays oil companies used to add MT

Background

Did you know every year in the U.S. factories release over 3 million tons of toxic

chemicals into the land, air and water? This hazardous waste causes us to lose over 15

million acres of land every year, it leads to "respiratory complications" and other health

problems and it makes our rivers and lakes too polluted for us to swim in and drink. But

factories are only part of the problem of pollution. Pollution is caused by industrial and

commercial waste, agriculture practices, everyday human activities and most notably,

forms of transportation. No matter where you go and what you do, there are remnants of

pollution. So What is a pollution? "Pollution is the introduction of a contaminant into the

environment" as stated by the EPA. It is created mostly by human actions, but can also

be a result of natural disasters. Pollution has a "detrimental" (means harmful) effect on

any living organism in an environment, making it nearly impossible to sustain life.

How pollution classified into different types of environmental pollution? So as mentioned

before, Pollution harms the Earth’s environment and its inhabitants in many ways.

Scientists and geographers break pollution into three different types of pollution such as

air pollution, water pollution and soil/land pollution. To begin with land or soil pollution,

based upon EPA's theory Land pollution is mainly a pollution of earth's natural surface

caused by industrial, commercial, domestic and agricultural activities. Now what are

some sources of land pollution? so, some of the main contributors to land pollution are

could be Chemical and nuclear plants, Industrial factories, Oil refineries, Human

sewage, Oil and antifreeze leaking from cars, Mining Littering, Overcrowded landfills,

Deforestation, and Construction debris. For examples, Every year one American

produces over 3285 pounds of hazardous waste. Land pollution causes us to lose 24
billion tons of top soil every year. Americans generate 30 billion foam cups, 220 million

tires and 1.8 billion disposable diapers every year. We throw away enough trash every

day to fill 63,000 garbage trucks. Every day Americans throw away 1 million bushels of

litter out their car window. Over 80% of items in landfills can be recycled, but they’re not.

How can we prevent these type of Land pollution from our environment? The best way

to prevent land pollution is to recycle. If recycle don't work all the time, people can also

prevent land pollution by reusing any items that is possible, buying biodegradable

products, store all liquid chemicals and waste in spill-proof containers, eat organic foods

that are grown without pesticides, don’t use pesticides, use a drip tray to collect engine

oil, buy products that have little packaging, and last not least, Don’t dump motor oil on

the ground.

Secondly we have air pollution which is the "accumulation"(growth) of hazardous

substances into the atmosphere that danger human life and other living matter. Some of

the source of air pollution would be Automobile emissions, Tobacco smoke, Combustion

of coal, Acid rain, Noise pollution from cars and construction, Power plants,

Manufacturing buildings, Large ships, Paint fumes, Aerosol sprays, Wildfires, Nuclear

weapons. Some of facts about Air pollution founded that almost 232 million different

types of vehicles are driven by U.S. citizens every day, adding greenhouse gases into

the air U.S. vehicle emissions contribute 45% to global warming. The average adult

consumes 3,000 gallons of polluted air every day. Vehicle exhaust contributes to 60% of

carbon monoxide emissions in the U.S. and up to 95% in large cities Every year

335,000. Americans die of lung cancer, which is a direct result of air pollution. How can

we prevent Air pollution? The number one way to prevent air pollution is to walk or bike
more and drive less. This will prevent fossil fuels from polluting the air. Here are some

other ways to prevent air pollution: Carpool or join a ride share with friends and

coworkers Don’t smoke Keep your car maintenance up-to-date If you have to drive, do

your errands at one time Don’t buy products that come in aerosol spray cans Avoid

using lighter fluid when barbecuing outside When you drive accelerate slowly and use

cruise control Always replace your car’s air filter Use a push or electric lawnmower

rather than a gas-powered one Don’t use harsh chemical cleaners that can emit fumes

Inspect your gas appliances and heaters regularly.

Lastly with water pollution, it is the introduction of chemical, biological and physical

matter into large bodies of water that degrade the quality of life that lives in it and

consumes it. Some of the source of water pollution would be Factories, Refineries,

Waste treatment facilities, Mining, Pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, Human sewage,

Oil spills, Failing septic systems, Soap from washing your car, Oil and antifreeze leaking

from cars, Household chemicals, and Animal waste. Over two-thirds of U.S. estuaries

and bays are severely degraded because of nitrogen and phosphorous pollution Every

year almost 25% of U.S. beaches are closed at least once because of water pollution

Over 73 different kinds of pesticides have been found in the groundwater that we

eventually use to drink 1.2 trillion gallons of sewage, storm water and industrial waste

are discharged into U.S. waters every year 40% of U.S. rivers are too polluted for

aquatic life to survive Americans use over 2.2 billion pounds of pesticides every year,

which eventually washes into our rivers and lakes. So how can we prevent water

pollution? The best way to prevent water pollution is to not throw trash and other

harmful chemicals into our water supplies. Here are a few more ways you can prevent
water pollution: Wash your car far away from any stormwater drains. Don’t throw trash,

chemicals or solvents into sewer drains Inspect your septic system every 3-5 years.

Avoid using pesticides and fertilizers that can run off into water systems. Sweep your

driveway instead of hosing it down. Always pump your waste-holding tanks on your

boat. Use non-toxic cleaning materials Clean up oil and other liquid spills with kitty litter

and sweet them up Don’t wash paint brushes in the sink

Problem:

one professional made a science experiment upon do gas stations affect the pH of

surrounding soil?

Methods:

First thing on experiment, the observer did was to collect 1 teaspoon of soil samples

from each four different gas station. Then the samples were insert into 4 different

plastic zip lock bags and they were labeled with where they have collected from.

Second was done by the observer was, he collect soil samples from areas away from

gas stations were located. He took soils from urban, suburban and rural areas. However

for this experiment, it is noted that the more experiment would make the project more

accurate. Next thing was done was 1 pea-sized was insert into every single samples

and was labeled very carefully. Then plastic dropper was used to add drops of water

until the samples are barely covered. Then 2 to 3 drops of universal pH indicator was

added to each sample. Last not least, Samples were observed by using the color tables

that comes with the indicator to record the pH of each sample.

Result

The result of the experiment reveals the soil pollution will depend on the environmental

regulation of the city or town and on how well the gas station fulfill. Newer gas station

would not have any effect on the soil but older gas station may have an bad effect which

might cause to soil pollution. Why is that so? Science and governmental regulation have

come a long way in protecting the environment. A compound that has been found to

contaminate soil as well as water near gas stations is called MTBE (methyl tert butyl

ether). Oil companies used to add MTBE to gasoline to give it higher oxygen content

(which gives better combustion in your car engine). While it isn’t listed as a cancer-

causing chemical, it affects the taste of the water, and its potential health effects have

not been widely studied. The US government began to phase out MTBE usage in the

year 2000 in favor of adding ethanol. Cleaning up pollution like MTBE costs hundreds of

millions of dollars and takes a long time.

Discussion

My chosen entire project is about pollution and this experiment along with its

background literally describe the type of pollutions we have in our world (soil, water and

air pollution). This project also led me to know about many events that occur with this

pollution and how this pollution have a bad impact on living organisms. However the

project that i have chose was about" Do Gas Stations Cause Soil Pollution? " after

reading through methods and result, it is to be conclude that gas station do not cause

soil pollution, it is depend on the environmental regulation of the cities or town and how
well the gas station comply. Newer gas station should not have any effect on soil but

older gas station may have a bad influence upon soil. It is obvious that scientists and

government regulation have come a long way in protecting the environment. Therefore

a compound that had been found to contaminate soil as well as the water near gas

stations is called as a MTBE "methyl tert-butyl ether ". This experiment also displays

how oil companies used to add MTBE to gasoline to give it higher oxygen content which

actually means it gives better combustion in car engine. Most importantly it's not notes

as cancer causing chemical but it affects the taste of water. The US government began

to phase out MTBE usage in favor of adding ethanol . Also this project talks about

cleaning up pollution like ethanol could take hundreds of million dollars and it takes a

long time to diffuse. To make further investigation on this experiment, we can

experiment on what is the affect of air pollution or water pollution using plants or

describing some disorder deficiency that caused by the pollutant toxins.

Conclusion:

In this project, It was fun and very helpful to research about someone else work and

discuss about it. Although everyone actually has the idea of what pollution can do or

cause to us but through this research report, many can able to identify and get more

knowledge about the topic by knowing the important events that occurred. However, this

project tells us how soil wont be affected by the new gasoline because of science and

government's protection. Soil can be polluted by mainly with industrial to minor wastes.

Most case people dig soil and grave waste materials but this actually not the right thing

to do. We should unite and start to recycle products in order to maintain our

environment. Also if we can't then we should try to diffuse the product because if we
litter something in the ground it will end up travel to water which will pollute the river or

ocean as well. and through evaporation, air would get polluted too. If our air get

polluted, it will cause greenhouse gasses and increase the chance of global warming.

Also pollution of air can led to acid rain which is also pretty harmful for us.

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