Soil is an important part of the earth and an essential natural resource allowing us to grow food and build homes. However, through past industrial activities and agriculture, some of the soil in the UK is contaminated – a soil remediation company like this soilfix.co.uk/services/soil-remediation/ plays an important role in making the soil safe again and cleaning the environment so that it is not a danger to people and animals.
Soil that is contaminated can contain a wide range of substances – from heavy metals like lead and nickel, to asbestos or other chemicals that are hazardous to those that are exposed to them. Exposure can be through direct contact, such as digging and gardening, breathing in the dust, or even eating food that has been grown in soil that is contaminated.
Firstly, contamination must be tested and identified. Knowing that the soil is contaminated, what level it is contaminated to and what it is contaminated with means that a plan to treat it correctly can be made. The method that is used depends on what the contamination is and also how the land will be used in future.
Soil remediation also helps to protect rivers and the groundwater, as well as the local environment – contamination left unchecked can spread far and wide and do a lot of damage. When the pollution in the soil is treated at the source, it can protect the wider environment too.
