China
Africa
Explore chapters and articles related to this topic
Air and Water Pollution Monitoring and Control Through Bionanomaterial-Based Sensors
Published in Naveen Dwivedi, Shubha Dwivedi, Bionanotechnology Towards Sustainable Management of Environmental Pollution, 2023
Monika Singh, Doli, Amit Yadav, Sumit Kaushik, Namrata Gupta, Gyanendra Singh, Piyush Gupta
If heavy metals, such as fluoride, arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury, and others, are present in excessive concentrations in water, it is hazardous to human health. Dental caries and mottling of teeth are caused by concentrations of fluoride below 0.5 mg/L, while exposure to greater levels above 0.5 mg/L for 5–6 years can produce fluorosis, a disease that affects human health (Murad and Krishnamurthy, 2004). Toxic chemicals, like arsenic and cadmium, are extremely harmful to human health, causing cancer of the lungs and skin lesions. Long-term exposure to these carcinogens can cause bladder and lung cancer. Pipes, fittings, solder, and domestic plumbing systems all contribute to lead pollution in drinking water. It should be emphasized that lead exposure has negative effects on the blood, central nervous system, and kidneys of humans, which can be fatal to children and pregnant women's health (Murad and Krishnamurthy, 2008).
Policy and Legal Framework for Water Pollution with Special Reference to Heavy Metals and Metalloids in Different Parts of the World
Published in Abhik Gupta, Heavy Metal and Metalloid Contamination of Surface and Underground Water, 2020
In the USA, lead primarily enters drinking water by leaching of corroded pipes, plumbing fixtures, solder, and flux containing lead. Lead can cause adverse health effects, especially in young children and pregnant women and their fetuses. Health effects in children include lower IQ, stunted growth, impaired cognitive behavior, learning problems, anemia, and others. Lead also accumulates in bones, and mothers can release this to the growing fetus via the placenta, or through breast feeding. Lead can also cause cognitive impairment, hypertension, and reproductive effects. Lead pipes were extensively used in water supply systems, and were banned in 1986 according to the provisions of the Lead and Copper Rule, but they remained as components of the USA’s water supply network, much of which were installed before the ban came into effect. This gave rise to the elevated risk of lead-induced health problems in many US children who were exposed to relatively high Pb levels in their drinking water (AAAS 2019).
Nuclear Power in the World Today
Published in Robert E. Masterson, Introduction to Nuclear Reactor Physics, 2017
Nuclear fuel is consumed when a uranium or plutonium atom splits apart by absorbing a low energy neutron. Only certain isotopes of uranium and plutonium, called fissile isotopes, have this unusual property. Examples of these isotopes include U-233, U-235, Pu-239, and Pu-241. Other varieties of uranium and plutonium, including U-238, Pu-240, and Pu-242, can also absorb a low energy neutron, but they will not split apart or fission when they do so. Instead, they are converted into other materials, which may undergo radioactive decay. Incidentally, this is how most of the lead in the world today was created today. Lead is an excellent shielding material that is commonly used in the construction of radiation shields. Radiation shields are discussed in great detail in our companion book.* Isotopes of uranium and plutonium with even numbers of protons and neutrons are called fertile materials.
Phytoremediation of soils contaminated by lead and cadmium in Ethiopia, using Endod (Phytolacca dodecandra L).
Published in International Journal of Phytoremediation, 2022
Alemu Shiferaw Debela, Mekibib Dawit, Memory Tekere, Fisseha Itanna
Lead (Pb) and Cadmium (Cd) are reported as heavy metals of major public health concern due to their persistence, non-biodegradable nature and toxicity (Gul et al. 2019). Lead is a toxic heavy metal with no identified importance or essential cell activities in plants (Azeez et al.2019). Anthropogenic sources such as, lead acid batteries, heavy-traffic load, coal-based power plants, paints, industrial effluents and mineral extraction could increase concentrations of Pb in soils (Dotaniya et al. 2018). Exposure to lead can cause mental retardation, nervous system disorder, cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal cancer, kidney disease and other health impacts on humans (Kumar et al. 2020; Shen et al. 2021). Similarly, Cd is a serious metal pollutant in agricultural sites, causing oxidative stress in plants, subsequently affecting plant germination, growth, fruiting and nutrient translocation (Shang et al.2018; Azeez et al.2019). Cadmium transfer via food chain and its health impacts are also of significant concern. Effects on human health includes softening of the bones, enzymatic disorder, kidney damage, carcinogenic effect, lung cancer, renal dysfunction, and Ca imbalance (Dotaniya et al. 2018). Main sources of Cd in the environment are mining, smelting, paint industries, vehicular emissions, batteries industries, electronic waste, welding, electroplating, agricultural pesticides, fertilizers, uncontrolled waste disposal practices, and others (Rizwan et al. 2017; Raza et al. 2020).
Recycling of zinc and lead from electric arc furnace dust by selective leaching with EDTA
Published in Canadian Metallurgical Quarterly, 2022
EAFD has been classified as a type of hazardous waste because heavy and easily leachable metals such as lead are found in its composition [7,8]. For this reason, its disposal in landfills increases its threat. Lead in its various forms is considered toxic and dangerous, due to its harmful effects on living organisms and human health [9]. Its compounds have produced poisoning of workers by frequent use and by excessive exposure [10]. It is important to consider that lead in the body follows a three-compartmental model: blood 2%, soft tissue 8% and bone 90% [11], hence the need for safe recycling of waste containing this heavy metal; blood lead levels should be below 10 µg/dL [12]; Inhalation of fumes or dust and ingestion of contaminated food or water are the main routes of entry of inorganic lead into the organism. If EAFD is improperly treated and disposed of in landfills, the risk of its direct contact and reaction with soil, water, and winds increases.
Efficacy of a lead based paint XRF analyzer and a commercially available colorimetric lead test kit as qualitative field tools for determining presence of lead in religious powders
Published in Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, 2018
Manthan P. Shah, Derek G. Shendell, Qingyu Meng, Pamela Ohman-Strickland, William Halperin
In children, lead exposure may result in irritability, learning disabilities, abdominal pain, hyperactivity, hearing loss, reduced attention span, slowed growth and antisocial and delinquent behavior.[2-4] In addition, no blood lead level (BLL) is considered safe in children.[5] There have been reports of individuals and families becoming lead poisoned due to inadvertent ingestion of lead adulterated sindoor. In 2004, physicians reported on a case in which blood testing revealed elevated BLLs in a South Asian family consisting of a mother, father and 13-month old boy.[1] A routine blood lead test discovered a BLL of 57 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL) in the child; subsequent testing of the father and mother revealed BLLs of 85 and 95 µg/dL, respectively. Investigation by the local health department and the New Jersey Poison Information and Education System using an X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyzer indicated a container labeled “Sindoor, Product of India, Non-Edible” had high levels of lead.[1] Subsequent analysis for lead content showed the sindoor contained 58% acid-extractable lead by weight.[1] Interviews with the family revealed they had been using this sindoor as a food-coloring agent.[1]