Introduction to Contaminated Site Management - Dealing with Contaminated Sites: From Theory Towards Practical Application - page 10

of soil contamination were badly underestimated in the past. As a consequence,
prevention of emissions into soil is a mandated practice in practically all developed
countries today, for ethical, practical and financial reasons. Therefore, all kinds of
prevention measures are being taken. Production processes, transport and storage
follow strict regulations in order to avoid or minimize spilling. Gas stations have
been equipped with liquid impermeable foundations. And waste gases have been
filtered before leaving chimneys to avoid or minimize the exhaust of contaminants.
And agricultural practices, including the processes that result in emissions into
soil, are also strongly regulated today. An interesting tendency is the trend towards
sustainable agriculture where the inputs into the soil are in equilibrium with the
outputs.
1.1.3 Public Awareness
Out of the three major environmental compartments, that is, soil, water and air, soil
probably is the least known and the least appreciated. Water, in particular surface
water, is a highly visible and widely appreciated part of the landscape. The general
public despises contaminated waters, for ethical and practical reasons. Since we are
directly surrounded by it, the air compartment is as much appreciated as feared for.
We need the air every minute of the day to survive and are alert for any disturbance
in air quality. Moreover, we are very much aware of bad air quality, since we cannot
help but see and smell it. Soil, on the contrary, is hardly visible. Except from an
agricultural viewpoint, humans generally do not have a positive association with
soil. To the general public, soil is often thought of as a dark place in which creepy
organisms reside and in which we bury our dead.
Individuals who generally have a positive association with soil are people who
grow crops, and realise the meaning of the soil in terms of habitat and nutrient
source. These individuals can either be farmers who grow crops for commercial
reasons, or individuals who grow crops for their own consumption (see Fig. 1.2 ,in
which small allotments are shown in Jiangsu province, China, where the local pop-
ulation uses the spare bare surfaces for their food supply). An interesting initiative
to make soils more palpable to the general public relates to the relationship between
soils and art (Wessolek 2006 ). This movement reveals the beauty of soil profiles and
of artworks that use soil materials or soil visions.
In the last few years the unfavourable view of soil has changed a little in Europe,
the USA, Australia and Canada. Many people are now aware of the huge pressure
that humans put on the environment, including the soil. Moreover, many envi-
ronmentally conscious people read articles in the newspaper about the amazing
performances of soils in, for example, organic biological agriculture practices. And
since global warming is at the top of the political priority list, soils are recognized
as a powerful CO 2 sink.
Not only scientists and regulators, but also the general public are all aware of
the presence and consequences of soil contamination today. This awareness is still
partly based on negative events in the 1970s and 1980s. Although the general public
has good reason to be worried when their direct living conditions are impacted by