“Soil contamination is a less visible hazard to human health than polluted air. But evidence is accumulating for the deleterious role of soil pollutants for cardiovascular health through a number of mechanisms”, Thomas Münzel, a professor at the Mainz University Medical Center in Germany, said in a statement. With three other researchers, he conducted a study published in the journal Cardiovascular Research June 30. In this research, they established a link between soil pollution and heart disease.

An increase in oxidative stress

As part of this study, they reminded that healthy soil is necessary to grow crops, provide food and sustain people. “Soil pollution is a significant and growing threat to health”, they reported. Soil can be polluted with heavy metals, organic chemicals, such as pesticides, biological pathogens, and nano and microplastics.

In their work, German scientists claimed that this pollution could lead to the contamination of foodstuffs. Pollutants in soil can also cause cardiovascular disease by increasing oxidative stress in blood vessels, causing inflammation and disrupting the body’s biological clock, namely the circadian rhythm.

“An environment free of toxic substances”

According to the authors, these pollutants can be inhaled through desert dust, fertilizer crystals or plastic particles. Heavy metals, such as cadmium and lead, plastics and organic toxic substances can also enter the body through the oral route. Another observation: the pollutants in the ground flow into the rivers and cause pollution of the water that can be consumed. Deforestation causes soil erosion, releases sequestered pollutants and generates airborne dust.

“Therefore, we are obligated to create an environment free of toxic substances, uphold the concept of a safe operating space for humanity, and preserve the health of our planet for future generations,” concluded the researchers.