Impact of Heavy Metals on the Environment

Impact of Heavy Metals on the Environment
Author: Jean-Pierre Vernet
Publisher: Elsevier Publishing Company
Total Pages: 480
Release: 1992
Genre: Nature
ISBN:

Highlighted in this compilation of papers is the role and importance of heavy metals in the environment. It provides up-to-date information in a field of active research and progress, where the focus is on effects and interactions between the environment and organisms, as well as contaminant dynamics. Several papers address the impact of heavy metals on our health. The influence of metals on plants is described in an exhaustive study on lichens, which have been widely used as biomonitors for environmental contamination by heavy metals. Metals are also accumulated by animals, as seen in a chapter which focusses on sediment/benthic organism interactions and biomonitoring in fish. Soil interactions are discussed, as well as regional studies of freshwater sediments and the marine environment. The final part of the book addresses a crucial problem: the management of stabilized municipal waste sludges. As a result, the most important and significant recent trends are included, emphasizing interactions with and impacts of heavy metals on humans, animals, plants and soils.

Ecological Toxicology Research

Ecological Toxicology Research
Author: A. D. McIntyre
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 414
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1461589452

The Conference on the Ecotoxicity of Heavy Metals and Organohalogen Com pounds was held under the auspices of the NATO Science Committee as part of its continuing effort to promote the useful progress of science through international cooperation. Science Committee Conferences are deliberately designed to focus atten tion on unsolved problems, with invited participants providing a variety of complementary expertise. Through intensive group discussion they seek to reach a consensus on assessments and recommendations for future research emphases, which it is hoped will be of value to the larger scientific commu nity. The subjects treated in previous Conferences have been as varied as science itself-e.g., computer software, chemical catalysis, oceanography, and materials and energy research. This volume presents an account of a meeting which evolved from studies within the Science Committee's advisory panel on Eco-Sciences. Environmental monitoring of toxic substances from industrial and agricultural sources is pro ducing a growing volume of data on the quantities of such substances in terres trial and aquatic milieus. Before this information can be used to assess biological effects, knowledge is required of the chemical form of the pollutants, the mecha nisms by which they enter and move through organisms, their concomitant transformations, the nature of the toxic reactions within tissues, and the way in which the physiology and behavior of individuals is affected.

Heavy Metal Toxicity: Environmental Concerns, Remediation and Opportunities

Heavy Metal Toxicity: Environmental Concerns, Remediation and Opportunities
Author: Rajeev Pratap Singh
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 442
Release: 2023-10-24
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9819903971

This contributed volume covers a comprehensive account of the sources, toxic biological as well as environmental impacts, and possible remediation strategies for contamination by heavy metals. In biological systems, toxic metals affect the integrity of cellular organelles and act as carcinogens causing chromosomal aberrations or as systemic toxicants leading to cardiovascular, neurobehavioral, and immunological disorders. In plants, they interfere with photosynthesis, fertility, metabolite, and chlorophyll synthesis. Toxicity induced by heavy metals involves mechanistic approaches that need to be understood properly. They cannot be degraded by biological or chemical means and thus can only be converted to less harmful forms. The conventional detection methods include biosensors, voltammetry, atomic absorption spectrometry, and inductively coupled plasma with atomic emission spectrometry. All such strategies for metal detection and mitigation strategies are covered in this title under one section. This book incorporates classical views along with modern scientific approaches to develop an understanding of the subject matter suitable for academicians, researchers, planners, policymakers, NGOs, and environmental consultancies and raise awareness on this concern. Topics representing diverse sections namely environmental impacts, biological effects, and methods used for detection and remediation have been included to address all possible contemporary issues on the topic in one concise volume.

Heavy Metals: A Problem Solved?

Heavy Metals: A Problem Solved?
Author: E van der Voet
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 239
Release: 2013-04-17
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9401596107

Most publications on heavy metals and the environment have focused on environmental pathways and risks. The present book establishes a link between the environmental risks of heavy metals and the societal causes of the risks. Economic models, substance flow models and environmental fate and risk assessment models have been integrated into a single analytical framework that has been used to trace and understand the routes by which four heavy metals enter the economy, through to their final destination in the environment. The long-term impacts of the current metals management regime in the Netherlands have been used as a case study by which to assess the effectiveness of certain policy measures. Readership: Environmental scientists, especially those practising in the areas of ecological economics, industrial ecology, materials flow accounting and integrated environmental assessment. Environmental policy makers will also find the book an invaluable aid in their deliberations.

Environmental Heavy Metal Pollution and Effects on Child Mental Development

Environmental Heavy Metal Pollution and Effects on Child Mental Development
Author: Lubomir I. Simeonov
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 357
Release: 2010-11-19
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9400702523

Heavy metals can be emitted into environment by both natural and anthropogenic sources, mainly mining and industrial activity. Human exposure occurs through all environmental media. Infants are more susceptible to the adverse effects of exposure. Increasing attention is now being paid to the mental development of children exposed to heavy metals. The purpose of this book is to evaluate the existing knowledge on intellectual impairment in children exposed to heavy metals in their living environment and to identify the research needs in order to obtain a clearer picture of the situation in countries and regions at risk, in which the economy is closely related to metallurgy and heavy metals emission, and to recommend a strategy for human protection. In greater detail the main objectives could be formulated as follows: to review the principal sources of single, and complex mixtures of, heavy metal pollutants in the environment; to identify suitable methodology for chemical analyses in the environment and in humans; to evaluate the existing methods for measuring mental impairment, including their reliability and validity; to recommend a standard testing protocol to be used in future research; to assess the future role of environmental heavy metal pollution in countries and regions at risk and its effects on children’s neurological development; to recommend a prevention strategy for protecting children’s health and development.