HEAVY METALS IN VARIOUS COMPONENTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT – A REVIEWMANPREET KAUR CHAHAL, SAHIL MITTAN, AMANDEEP KAUR DHALIWAL, AMANPREET SINGH SRAN, DIVYA MITTAL1, AMRITA KUMARI, ONKAR SINGH SIDHU AND V.S. PAHILAbstract Heavy metals are naturally occurring elements having high atomic weight and density greater than five times that of water. Owing to their numerous industrial, residential, agricultural, medical and technical applications, they are widely distributed in the environment, raising worries about their possible effects on the environment and human health. The chemical species, their dose and method of exposure, as well as the age, gender, genetics and nutritional status of those exposed, all influence their toxicity. Arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead and mercury are among the priority metals that are of public health concern due to their high toxicity. These metallic elements are known to cause numerous organ damage, even at very low doses and are considered systemic toxicants. Due to the above reasons, study of different heavy metals in various environmental matrices is more important and this review paper shows the heavy metal distribution, effects and permissible limits of these toxic substances in the ecosystem. |