| By breathing, ingesting or bathing in contaminated | | | | * Dry cleaning stores, |
| water, an indivudal is increasing their risk for serious | | | | * Chemical waste storage facilities, |
| and potentially fatal affects. Most often, groundwater | | | | * Any manufacturing plant that uses any type of |
| contamination occurs when indivudals consume most | | | | cleaning solvents or gasoline based products, |
| of their daily water from wells. Chemicals can | | | | * Oil refineries, and |
| contaminate the ground acquifier, which eventually | | | | * Landfills. |
| seeps into the drinking water exposing an indivudal to | | | | Potential Injuries from Soil and Water Contamination |
| contamintation. | | | | Contaminants are likely to cause chronic health |
| Groundwater contamination not only is caused | | | | effects, or effects that occur long after repeated |
| through well water but can also occur through air | | | | exposure to small amounts of a chemical. Examples |
| contamination with low water tables. If the chemicals | | | | of chronic health effects include cancer, liver and |
| are volatile, such as gasoline or other materials, they | | | | kidney damage, disorders of the nervous system, |
| may escape into people's basements and may be | | | | damage to the immune system, and birth defects. |
| trapped, thereby exposing the homeowner who may | | | | While it would be impossible to list all the potential |
| inhale the fumes. | | | | injuries that can be caused by various chemical |
| Another source of chemical contamination is from soil. | | | | agents, the list below will serve to be illustrative of |
| This can occur as discussed above with groundwater | | | | those conditions, that when coupled with appropriate |
| contamination, but can also occur when streams or | | | | exposure, could be caused by chemical contamination. |
| other bodies of water are contaminated with heavy | | | | The potential injuries from soil and water |
| metals or chemicals. When areas flood, these heavy | | | | contamination include the following: |
| metals and chemicals are deposited on an individual's | | | | * Cancer (such as skin, lung and brain); |
| property and thus contaminate the soil. People can be | | | | * Various forms of learning disability (ADD, ADHD, |
| exposed to these contaminants in the following | | | | LD); |
| ways: skin contact (walking on the soil or gardening); | | | | * Teratogenic effects (when a fetus is contaminated |
| inhalation (creating dust in the yard or tracking dust | | | | during pregnancy; |
| into the home); and ingestion (consuming fruits and | | | | * Respiratory effects (breathing difficulties, allergies |
| vegetables from the ground, which was grown in the | | | | and other similar conditions); |
| soil). | | | | * Gastrointestinal effects (stomach conditions); |
| Sources of Soil Contamination | | | | * Cardiovascular effects (heart problems); |
| While it would be impossible to list all the potential | | | | * Hepatic effects (various liver conditions); |
| sources of chemical contamination, the following list | | | | * Renal effects (various kidney effects including |
| will serve to illustrate typical contamination sources: | | | | blood in the urine and other kidney problems); and |
| * Gas stations, | | | | * Neurological effects (various nervous system |
| * Machine shops, | | | | disorders, including reflex malfunction and headaches). |
| * Railroad yards and other railroad-related work sites, | | | | If you have been exposed to soil and/or water |
| * Chemical manufacturing plants, | | | | contamination and have been injured, you may have |
| * Incinerators, | | | | a legal case. |