Worldwide, soil pollution caused by the presence of xenobiotic chemicals (the human) or due to changes in the natural soil environment. It is characterized caused by industrial activities, agricultural chemicals, or due to improper waste disposal places. The common chemicals including oil hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons more rings (naphthalene and benzo as (a) pyrene), solvents, pesticides, lead, and other heavy metals. Pollution levels correlated with the degree of intensity of industrialization and the use of chemicals.

The concern over soil contamination stems primarily from health risks, the direct contact with contaminated soil, vapor from the pollutants, secondary pollutants from ground water supplies .[first] Mapping and cleaning up contaminated lands are often time consuming and expensive, requiring extensive knowledge of geology, hydrology, chemistry, computer modeling skills, and GIS in environmental pollution as well as the appreciation of the history of the chemical industry.

In North America and Western Europe with soil pollution levels are known to most, many countries in this region have a legal framework for identifying and solving environmental problems. The developing countries have less stringent regulations, although some countries have gone through industrialization.