Heavy Metals Toxicity: A Rising Concern In India

India is the developing country and due to industrialization and modernization, is leaving powerful impact at the global level on technical ground.

But everything comes with pros and cons. Development at the sake of environment is not justifiable and is costing the threat to human as well as animal life, resulting in accumulation of heavy toxic chemicals, metals in the food chain as well as the water sources and air. It is discussed globally that environmental pollution in developing countries is mostly because of negative effect of technological developments like rapid urbanization and industrialization, with poor-planning in waste disposal and management. Burning of fossil fuel, mining and metallurgy, industries and transport sectors are contributing toxic heavy metals into the environment, which persist for a considerably longer period and are resulting in bioaccumulation in crops. Heavy metal toxicity is one of the major current environmental health problem and is dangerous because of bio accumulation through food chain. Heavy metal content in the vegetation around urban industrial areas has been found to be higher as compared to normal ones, indicating relationship between industrialization and environmental deterioration. Food of plant origin as well as animal origin like milk, meat has bio-accumulated these toxic metals and is the challenge to public health safety. Soil naturally has various heavy metals like Cr, Cu, Cd, Co and Pb etc but indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers, insecticides, contaminated ground water is main reason for bio magnification of heavy metals in soil. Various heavy metals like Co, Cr and Cu are essential for plant and animal metabolism, but not at levels above maximum permissible limits (MPL). Above MPL, they disrupts the normal functioning of organisms. Metals like Cd, Hg and Pb are considered to be highly toxic and carcinogenic for humans and animals. Heavy metals of industrial biowaste contaminate drinking water, food and air. Heavy metals level above MPL effect hormone system and growth of different body tissues.