International Journal of Environmental Chemistry

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Environmental Pollution by Heavy Metal: An Overview

Received: Jul. 15, 2019    Accepted: Aug. 13, 2019    Published: Dec. 30, 2019
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Abstract

Environmental pollution by heavy metals has become a global issue in the recent years as it affects public health. Especially with the continue increase in anthropogenic activities such as industries and urbanization which releases pollutants in to the environment without control and effects remedies. Among the numerous environmental pollutants, heavy metals plays an important role as its concentrations in air, soil and water are continuously increasing due to anthropogenic activities. Heavy metal is any metal that is toxic regardless of their density or atomic mass. Heavy metals occur naturally in the soil environment from the pedogenetic processes of weathering of parent materials and from anthropogenic sources such as traffic emission, industrial and energy production, waste disposal, vehicle exhaust as well as coal and fuel combustion. Excess of metal pollutants deposited on soils may be transformed and transported to vegetation and from plants they pass on to animals and human being through the food chain. Excessive levels of heavy metal can be damaging to the organism and plants by disrupt metabolic functions of vital organs and glands. Also they displace the vital nutritional minerals from their original place, thereby, hindering their biological function. Therefore it is important to continually assess and monitor the levels of heavy metals in an environment due to increase in anthropogenic activities for evaluation of human exposure and for sustainable environment The aim of this paper is to discuss illustratively environmental (air, soil and water) pollution by heavy metals. Sources of heavy metals in an environment as well as their effects on organisms and plants were examined. Different methods of assessing their level of pollution were also considered and remedies were presented.

DOI 10.11648/j.ijec.20190302.14
Published in International Journal of Environmental Chemistry ( Volume 3, Issue 2, December 2019 )
Page(s) 72-82
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Environment, Pollution, Heavy, Metal, Effect, Remedy

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    Nachana’a Timothy, Ezekiel Tagui Williams. (2019). Environmental Pollution by Heavy Metal: An Overview. International Journal of Environmental Chemistry, 3(2), 72-82. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijec.20190302.14

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    Nachana’a Timothy; Ezekiel Tagui Williams. Environmental Pollution by Heavy Metal: An Overview. Int. J. Environ. Chem. 2019, 3(2), 72-82. doi: 10.11648/j.ijec.20190302.14

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    AMA Style

    Nachana’a Timothy, Ezekiel Tagui Williams. Environmental Pollution by Heavy Metal: An Overview. Int J Environ Chem. 2019;3(2):72-82. doi: 10.11648/j.ijec.20190302.14

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijec.20190302.14,
      author = {Nachana’a Timothy and Ezekiel Tagui Williams},
      title = {Environmental Pollution by Heavy Metal: An Overview},
      journal = {International Journal of Environmental Chemistry},
      volume = {3},
      number = {2},
      pages = {72-82},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijec.20190302.14},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijec.20190302.14},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijec.20190302.14},
      abstract = {Environmental pollution by heavy metals has become a global issue in the recent years as it affects public health. Especially with the continue increase in anthropogenic activities such as industries and urbanization which releases pollutants in to the environment without control and effects remedies. Among the numerous environmental pollutants, heavy metals plays an important role as its concentrations in air, soil and water are continuously increasing due to anthropogenic activities. Heavy metal is any metal that is toxic regardless of their density or atomic mass. Heavy metals occur naturally in the soil environment from the pedogenetic processes of weathering of parent materials and from anthropogenic sources such as traffic emission, industrial and energy production, waste disposal, vehicle exhaust as well as coal and fuel combustion. Excess of metal pollutants deposited on soils may be transformed and transported to vegetation and from plants they pass on to animals and human being through the food chain. Excessive levels of heavy metal can be damaging to the organism and plants by disrupt metabolic functions of vital organs and glands. Also they displace the vital nutritional minerals from their original place, thereby, hindering their biological function. Therefore it is important to continually assess and monitor the levels of heavy metals in an environment due to increase in anthropogenic activities for evaluation of human exposure and for sustainable environment The aim of this paper is to discuss illustratively environmental (air, soil and water) pollution by heavy metals. Sources of heavy metals in an environment as well as their effects on organisms and plants were examined. Different methods of assessing their level of pollution were also considered and remedies were presented.},
     year = {2019}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Environmental Pollution by Heavy Metal: An Overview
    AU  - Nachana’a Timothy
    AU  - Ezekiel Tagui Williams
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    DO  - 10.11648/j.ijec.20190302.14
    T2  - International Journal of Environmental Chemistry
    JF  - International Journal of Environmental Chemistry
    JO  - International Journal of Environmental Chemistry
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    EP  - 82
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2640-1460
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijec.20190302.14
    AB  - Environmental pollution by heavy metals has become a global issue in the recent years as it affects public health. Especially with the continue increase in anthropogenic activities such as industries and urbanization which releases pollutants in to the environment without control and effects remedies. Among the numerous environmental pollutants, heavy metals plays an important role as its concentrations in air, soil and water are continuously increasing due to anthropogenic activities. Heavy metal is any metal that is toxic regardless of their density or atomic mass. Heavy metals occur naturally in the soil environment from the pedogenetic processes of weathering of parent materials and from anthropogenic sources such as traffic emission, industrial and energy production, waste disposal, vehicle exhaust as well as coal and fuel combustion. Excess of metal pollutants deposited on soils may be transformed and transported to vegetation and from plants they pass on to animals and human being through the food chain. Excessive levels of heavy metal can be damaging to the organism and plants by disrupt metabolic functions of vital organs and glands. Also they displace the vital nutritional minerals from their original place, thereby, hindering their biological function. Therefore it is important to continually assess and monitor the levels of heavy metals in an environment due to increase in anthropogenic activities for evaluation of human exposure and for sustainable environment The aim of this paper is to discuss illustratively environmental (air, soil and water) pollution by heavy metals. Sources of heavy metals in an environment as well as their effects on organisms and plants were examined. Different methods of assessing their level of pollution were also considered and remedies were presented.
    VL  - 3
    IS  - 2
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Author Information
  • Department of Chemistry, Adamawa State University, Mubi, Nigeria

  • Department of Chemistry, Adamawa State University, Mubi, Nigeria

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