The Ecotoxicology and Environmental Chemistry of Dangerous Heavy Metals: Their Bioaccumulation, Environmental Persistence, and Toxicity

Abstract

which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
The poisonous, persistent, and bioaccumulative properties of heavy metals make them well-known environmental contaminants. Their human
causes include mining and other industrial and agricultural processes, while their natural causes include volcanic eruptions and the
weathering of rocks that contain metals. Increased mobilisation of these elements in the environment and disruption of their biogeochemical
cycles have resulted from mining and industrial processes used to obtain mineral resources. These resources are then used for industrial,
agricultural, and economic growth. Toxic heavy metal contamination of both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems is a major environmental
issue that threatens human health. The accumulation of heavy metals in the environment and its subsequent contamination of food chains is a
result of their persistence as contaminants. Biota pose a health risk to consumers, including humans, when hazardous heavy metals
accumulate in them. This article provides a thorough overview of heavy metals as dangerous substances, touching on their bioaccumulative
potential, toxicity to living things, and environmental persistence. Particular emphasis is placed on rice, tobacco, and fish when discussing the
bioaccumulation of these elements and their effects on human health. Undergraduates, postgraduates, and researchers in the field of
environmental sciences will find this article to be an invaluable instructional resource. Nickel, copper, zinc, cadmium, lead, mercury, and
arsenate are among the most dangerous heavy metals and metalloids that are significant to the environment. The health of animals and
humans is significantly affected by the trophic transfer of these components in both aquatic and terrestrial food webs. The l evels of heavy
metals and metalloids, which may be harmful to living things, must be carefully measured and tracked in various parts of the environment.
There has to be action to reduce the negative effects of toxic heavy metals and metalloids on ecosystems and human health, according to a
thorough analysis of their environmental chemistry and ecotoxicology.