Environmental Hazards of Heavy Metal Pollution and Toxicity: A Review

Abstract

Metals and especially heavy metals are one of the major constituents of environmental pollution. The sources of heavy metal pollution can be geogenic or anthropogenic. The man-made sources include fumes, metal laden dust or food components. Although, many metals are essential for animal metabolism but a dose exceeding the required concentration is often deleterious. The hazardous nature of these heavy metals has been extensively studied in human, animal and plants showing various toxicological impacts of toxic metals. The acute or chronic exposure of heavy metals to animals and human can result in severe injury to the structure and function of vital organs as liver, kidney, brain along with systemic disease conditions. The growth of plants is also severely affected by the intake of metallic compounds through the mineral and water absorption route. The deleterious effects on plants range from symptoms of injury to metabolic, enzymatic, and growth inhibition. The study of heavy metal pollution and the subsequent impact to flora and fauna can contribute in spreading public awareness and sensitizing policy makers to develop strategic planning in order to reduce the pollution and implement biological protection strategies.