The Impact of Fragrances on Soils

Fragrances are chemicals mostly used in shampoos, detergents, cleaning agents and other personal care products due to their pleasant scent. Of these compounds, the polycyclic and nitromusks are not readily degraded in wastewater treatment plants and, therefore, their concentrations are dominant in the sewage sludge and reclaimed wastewater. The emphasis in this chapter is on assessing the potential for accumulation and the adverse effects of fragrances on the soil environment. Sewage sludge and reclaimed wastewater have potential benefits on agricultural soil, improving its fertility, although in the long term they can entail many risks. In water shortage scenarios, reclaimed wastewater can be used for irrigation in agricultural fields. In fact, based on literature, the use of reclaimed wastewater covers up to 10% of the agricultural production. The adsorption of fragrances in soil is influenced by its physiochemical properties and can be degraded by soil macro and microorganisms, volatilization, photodegradation and mainly by phytoremediation. Synthetic musk compounds at a high concentration inhibit the activity and growth of soil organisms, affecting their growth and reproduction, and can also be toxic to other terrestrial organisms, which indirectly affects the soil quality. Moreover, fragrances can affect crops, in particular the seed germination rate, and the elongation of shoots and roots, carrying a potential hazard to human health.