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  • Essay / The negative impact of heavy metals on the environment and human health

    Heavy metals are very dangerous and have become a great concern for health practitioners in recent years. Population growth, industrialization and urbanization have led to the emergence of manufacturing industries to feed a growing population. Smoke and fumes from industries' chimneys have resulted in long-range atmospheric emissions that have made ecological heavy metal pollution a global problem, even affecting the human population living in remote areas with less anthropogenic influence. Say no to plagiarism. Get Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayEvil human activities caused the deposition of heavy metals which were confined within certain limits and incapable of harming the inhabitants of the ecosystem . high rate in the environment. Industrial businesses such as mining and smelting have contributed to environmental pollution with heavy metals. Mining industries produce harmful metal pollutants including copper (Cu), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni), arsenic (As) and iron (Fe). These metals have harmful impacts on the ecosystem. Heavy metals are commonly present in untreated wastewater due to mining, smelting, electroplating, and metal finishing industries. It is for this reason that the effects of heavy metals on the environment, health and economy have attracted worldwide attention. It is estimated that 71% of the earth's surface is covered by bodies of water. These bodies of water are often polluted by industrial growth, urbanization and technological advancements. Heavy metal industries are the most harmful chemical-intensive industries compared to others. Agricultural soils regularly irrigated with industrial effluents (IE) are easily polluted by toxic metals. Heavy metals have high solubility in marine ecosystems and are easily absorbed by aquatic organisms. Once these metals reach the food chain, they eventually enter the human system and cause organ dysfunction. This poses serious risks to human well-being if large quantities of heavy metals are ingested beyond permitted levels. Food contaminated with excessive amounts of toxic metals can lead to the development of serious health problems like cancer, tissue damage, skin damage, organ failure, pain, weakened immune system, etc. Heavy metals can appear in the marine environment through natural and/or anthropogenic processes. . Heavy metals enter the aquatic environment through atmospheric precipitation, surface runoff, mining, urban wastewater, agricultural and industrial discharges. Many studies have been carried out on the concentrations of dissolved heavy metals and their risks for the aquatic environment. It can therefore be said that heavy metals not only pollute our marine systems, but also threaten our source of drinking water. There are many processes available for the removal of heavy metals from industrial wastewater. It is therefore essential to treat wastewater polluted by metals before its release into the environment. Absorption of heavy metals from inorganic effluents can be achieved by physicochemical treatment methods such as chemical precipitation, chemical coagulation, ion exchange, membrane filtration and.