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    Lecture-1: Toxic Elements

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    Sudhansu Shekhar Kuanr
    This document discusses toxic elements in soil and their effects. It notes that heavy metals like cadmium, arsenic, mercury, lead, nickel and fluorine can accumulate in soil from industrial and agricultural waste and become part of biological cycles, potentially affecting all life. Mercury contamination is a particular concern, as it can transform in soil into methylmercury, a soluble and absorbable form that biomagnifies up the food chain and can reach toxic levels in fish. The document examines mercury's behavior in soil and plant systems in detail. In summary, it addresses sources and impacts of toxic heavy metals in soil, plants, animals and humans.

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    Lecture-1: Toxic Elements

    Uploaded by

    Sudhansu Shekhar Kuanr
    7 views22 pages
    This document discusses toxic elements in soil and their effects. It notes that heavy metals like cadmium, arsenic, mercury, lead, nickel and fluorine can accumulate in soil from industrial and agricultural waste and become part of biological cycles, potentially affecting all life. Mercury contamination is a particular concern, as it can transform in soil into methylmercury, a soluble and absorbable form that biomagnifies up the food chain and can reach toxic levels in fish. The document examines mercury's behavior in soil and plant systems in detail. In summary, it addresses sources and impacts of toxic heavy metals in soil, plants, animals and humans.

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    L-1 SC 503

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    This document discusses toxic elements in soil and their effects. It notes that heavy metals like cadmium, arsenic, mercury, lead, nickel and fluorine can accumulate in soil from industrial and agricultural waste and become part of biological cycles, potentially affecting all life. Mercury contamination is a particular concern, as it can transform in soil into methylmercury, a soluble and absorbable form that biomagnifies up the food chain and can reach toxic levels in fish. The document examines mercury's behavior in soil and plant systems in detail. In summary, it addresses sources and impacts of toxic heavy metals in soil, plants, animals and humans.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    7 views22 pages

    Lecture-1: Toxic Elements

    Uploaded by

    Sudhansu Shekhar Kuanr
    This document discusses toxic elements in soil and their effects. It notes that heavy metals like cadmium, arsenic, mercury, lead, nickel and fluorine can accumulate in soil from industrial and agricultural waste and become part of biological cycles, potentially affecting all life. Mercury contamination is a particular concern, as it can transform in soil into methylmercury, a soluble and absorbable form that biomagnifies up the food chain and can reach toxic levels in fish. The document examines mercury's behavior in soil and plant systems in detail. In summary, it addresses sources and impacts of toxic heavy metals in soil, plants, animals and humans.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    LECTURE-1

    TOXIC ELEMENTS
    SOURCES, BEHAVIOR IN SOILS AND
    EFFECT ON SOIL, PLANT AND HUMAN
    HEALTH
    INTRODUCTION
    • Soil contamination is the presence of man-made chemicals or other alteration of the
    natural soil environment. This type of contamination typically arises from the rupture of
    underground storage tanks, application of pesticides, percolation of contaminated surface
    water to subsurface strata, leaching of wastes from landfills or direct discharge of
    industrial wastes to the soil.

    • The most common chemicals involved are petroleum hydrocarbons, solvents, pesticides,
    lead and other heavy metals. This occurrence of this phenomenon is correlated with the
    degree of industrialization and intensity of chemical usage.

    • The concern over soil contamination stems primarily from health risks, both of direct
    contact and from secondary contamination of water supplies.
    CONTD…

    • Every year, millions of tons of potentially toxic industrial, domestic, and


    agricultural products and waste materials find their way into the world’s soils.
    Once there, they become part of biological cycles that affect all forms of life.

    • Cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) are extremely poisonous; mercury (Hg), lead
    (Pb), nickel (Ni) and fluorine (F) are moderately so; boron (B), copper (Cu),
    manganese (Mn) and zinc (Zn) are relatively lower in mammalian toxicity.

    • Although the toxic metals and metalloid elements are not all, strictly speaking,
    “heavy” metals (more dense than iron), for the sake of simplicity this term is
    often used in referring to them.
    • The unscientific disposal of untreated or under-treated effluents has resulted in accumulation
    of heavy metals in land and water bodies.

    • Heavy metal contamination due to the sewage and sludge application to soils imposes a major
    limitation on potential land use.

    • Cultivated areas under peri-urban agriculture are worst affected by this problem. The heavy
    metals accumulating in soil may get entry into the human and animal food chain through the
    crops grown on it.

    • In many places, the metal contamination is historical, resulting from polluting activities that
    are no longer practiced. Lead in gasoline was mentioned, but lead from old water pipes, old
    methods of leather tanning (Cr), felt and gold processing (Hg), and old artisanal manufacture
    of metal alloys (Cu, Zn, Ni), etc., may leave a legacy of pollution in various soil layers.
    Mercury (Hg)

    • Mercury is released mainly from burning coal to generate electricity.

    • When it contaminates lake sediments and wetlands, the result is toxic levels of
    mercury among certain species of fish.

    • Insoluble forms of mercury in soils, not normally available to plants or, in turn, to
    animals, are converted by microorganisms to an organic form, methylmercury,
    which is more soluble and available for plant and animal absorption.

    • The methylmercury is concentrated in fatty tissue as it moves up the food chain,


    until it accumulates in some fish to levels that may be toxic to humans. This series
    of transformations illustrates how reactions in soil can influence human toxicities.
    Mode of action of Hg in plant system
    THANK YOU..

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