Why it matters
Acid reflux
12th April 2008
Industrial pollution can be felt decades - even centuries - after we release it
Pollution from the industrial revolution in Britain is still affecting the soils
The air in England has certainly improved since the Industrial Revolution, but pollutants in the soil are still having an effect. Bacteria that eat iron and sulphur in the mountainous Peak District are excreting acid, degrading the soil and worsening erosion, Patricia Linton from Manchester Metropolitan University told the annual meeting of the Society for General Microbiology in Edinburgh last week. These bacteria are normally found only in iron-rich old industrial sites, so she was surprised to find them on the remote peat lands.
Dr. Linton also found high levels of lead and zinc in the soil, two more relics of the Industrial Revolution. And the more acidic the soil, the more “mobile” the lead and zinc become – the heavy metals move around more easily and can be absorbed by living things. Dr. Linton and her team are now investigating whether the acid in the soil is related to heavy metals in waterways, reservoirs, vegetation and wildlife. More acidic soils might also release more carbon to the atmosphere, “which could actually make climate change worse,” Dr. Linton says.
Pollution can have unexpected effects long after we put out the fires. Clean-air legislation in Britain cut heavy-metal pollution from mines and smelters more than 50 years ago, but it may be a while before the damage stops.
Published in The Green Report in The Globe and Mail
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