Microchemical contaminants as forming agents of anthropogenic soils

Within historically accepted, major soil-forming major processes, the role of chemicals as a human-induced factor was neglected until the middle of the last century. Over the years, however, anthropogenic chemicals have emerged and are being released on the land surface in large amounts. Irreversible changes in the matrix of soil and soil constituents may occur as a result of both intentional and accidental release of anthropogenic chemicals, as well as a byproduct of human activity. After presenting an historical evolution of the discussion on soil-forming factors, we focus here on human impacts and examine the abiotic role of anthropogenic microchemical contaminant (AMCC) interactions with soils at the molecular level. Selected examples of microchemical contaminants, including heavy metals, pesticides, hydrocarbons, and engineered nanomaterials, are presented to demonstrate that AMCCs—even at low concentration—may irreversibly alter the matrix of the soil and soil constituents and lead to the formation of anthropogenic soils with different properties than those of the pristine soils.