If pesticides and fertilizers are applied to soil, what environmental issue is most directly caused?

• A. Air Pollution
• B. Water Pollution
• C. Global Warming
• D. Decrease in Crops

Answer: (B)

Water pollution happens most directly when pesticides and fertilizers are applied to soil. Rain or irrigation can move these chemicals off the soil surface and into nearby water bodies or leach them down into groundwater. Fertilizers release nitrogen and phosphorus that fuel algal blooms; when these microbes die and decompose, oxygen in the water drops, harming fish and other aquatic life. Pesticide residues can also contaminate water and affect non-target organisms. While pesticides can sometimes contribute to air pollution and fertilizers can influence greenhouse gas emissions, the immediate, most direct effect of soil application is pollution of water. Decreasing crops isn’t a pollutant issue, and air pollution or global warming are less direct in this context.