The Role of Soil Organic Matter in Limiting Organic Pollution in Soils with Focus on Endocrine Disruptor Compounds

Abstract

The purpose of this presentation is to provide a general survey on the various phenomena that anthropogenic organic pollutants (EDCs) of various nature and origin are subjected in soils and on the specific role exerted by the most chemical-active fraction of soil organic matter, i.e., the humic substances, on these processes. The presentation will then focus on some representative examples of adsorption/desorption studies of an important class of organic pollutants, the endocrine disrupting compounds, onto soil humic acids. These compounds are hormone-like substances that are able to alter, i.e., disrupt, the normal endocrine functions in animals and humans, and may enter the soil mainly through disposal of urban and industrial effluents, sludges, and wastes. Adsorption/desorption processes play a very important role in the estrogenic risk of EDCs, which is generally related to their distribution and speciation in the various soil phases.