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Water Quality Degradation Due to Heavy Metal Contamination: Health Impacts and Eco-Friendly Approaches for Heavy Metal Remediation

Summary

Heavy metals from factories, farms, and waste contaminate our drinking water and cause serious health problems like kidney damage and cancer. Traditional chemical methods to clean this water are expensive and create more pollution. Scientists are discovering that certain bacteria and plant materials can remove heavy metals naturally and cheaply, offering a sustainable solution to protect public health.

Background

Water quality is critical for human health and ecosystem function. Heavy metal contamination from industrial, agricultural, and domestic sources poses significant risks to water safety. Multiple anthropogenic and natural sources contribute to elevated heavy metal concentrations in groundwater and surface water.

Objective

This review examines water contamination with toxic heavy metals, their health impacts on humans, and evaluates eco-friendly bioremediation approaches as alternatives to conventional physicochemical treatment methods. The focus is on understanding contamination sources and developing sustainable remediation strategies.

Results

Biological methods including biosorption and bacterial bioremediation show promise for heavy metal removal with high removal efficiencies (44-98%). Modified biosorbents and specific bacterial strains demonstrated substantial capacity for removing Pb(II), Cd(II), Cr(VI), As species, and other heavy metals at lower costs than conventional methods.

Conclusion

Biological methods represent cost-effective and eco-friendly alternatives to physicochemical heavy metal removal approaches. Living microorganisms and modified biomaterials can effectively remediate contaminated water while reducing secondary pollutant generation and operational costs.
  • Published in:Toxics,
  • Study Type:Review,
  • Source: PMID: 37888679
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