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Heavy Metal Pollution

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9 views9 pages

Heavy Metal Pollution

Uploaded by

nitinverma9784
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We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Heavy Metal Pollution

Heavy Metal Pollution


• Heavy metals normally occur in nature and are essential to life but
can become toxic through accumulation in organisms. Arsenic,
cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, lead and mercury are the most
common heavy metals which can pollute the environment.
• Once heavy metals are introduced into the soil, they cannot be
degraded either biological or chemical and can persist in the
environment for a long time, therefore, they cause serious
environmental pollution and harmful effects to ecosystem including
bioaccumulation
Mercury Pollution
• Mercury is a persistent,
bioaccumulative, toxic pollutant.
When released into the environment,
it accumulates in water laid sediments
where it converts into toxic
methylmercury and enters the food
chain.
Minamata Disease
• Minamata Disease is a poisoning
disease that nervous system, mainly
central nervous system, is damaged by
methylmercury. It is established that
the disease differs from inorganic
mercury poisoning which damages
kidneys, etc.,
Cadmium (Cd) Pollution
• Cadmium is used in many products,
including batteries, pigments, metal
coatings, and plastics, and it is found
in cigarette smoke.
• Cadmium enters the environment
through mining operations and the Shenyang Copper Smelter
action of wind and rain.
• Forest fires and volcanoes also release
some cadmium to the air.
Cadmium (Cd)
Toxicity
• Lung toxicity:
• edema and emphysema by killing lung macrophages
• Skeletal effects:
• Osteoporosis and osteomalacia (pseudofractures)
• Cancer:
• carcinogenic in animal studies
• ~8% of lung cancers may be attributable to Cd

From: Klaassen et al., Chap. 19, Philp, Chap. 6


Cadmium (Cd)
Epidemics/case studies

Japan (1940s)
 effluent (outflow) from a lead-processing
plant washed over adjacent rice paddies
for many years
 rice accumulated high level of Cd
 community was poor (and therefore
malnourished with respect to calcium)
 acute toxicity: renal failure,anemia,
severe muscle pain
 named "Itai-Itai" disease ("ouch, Itai-itai victim
ouch")

From: Klaassen et al., Chap. 19, Philp, Chap. 6


Arsenic Pollution
• Arsenic is naturally present at high levels in the groundwater of several
countries.
• Arsenic is highly toxic in its inorganic form.
• Contaminated water used for drinking, food preparation and irrigation of food
crops poses the greatest threat to public health from arsenic.
• Long-term exposure to arsenic from drinking-water and food can cause
cancer and skin lesions. It has also been associated with cardiovascular
disease and diabetes. In utero and early childhood exposure has been linked
to negative impacts on cognitive development and increased deaths in young
adults.
• The most important action in affected communities is the prevention of further
exposure to arsenic by provision of a safe water supply.
Black Foot disease
• Blackfoot disease is a characteristic
vascular disease associated with long-
term exposure to inorganic arsenic. It
occurred in areas of Taiwan with
elevated arsenic in drinking water. The
patients suffer severe systemic
arteriosclerosis with black,
mummified dry foot-gangrene in
severe cases.

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