Heavy Metal and Metalloid Pollution of Soil, Water and Foods in Bangladesh: A Critical Review

Bangladesh is a densely populated developing country. Both industrialization and geological sources have caused widespread heavy metal and metalloid pollution in Bangladesh, which is now posing substantial threats to the local people. In this review, we carried out one of the most exhaustive literature analyses on the current status of Bangladesh heavy metal and metalloid pollution, covering water, soil, and foods. Analysis showed that soils near high traffic and industrial areas contain high concentrations of heavy metals and metalloids. Agricultural land and vegetables in sewage-irrigated areas were also found to be heavy metal- and metalloid-contaminated. River water, sediment, and fish from the Buriganga, Turag, Shitalakhya, and Karnaphuli rivers are highly contaminated with cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and chromium (Cr). Particularly, groundwater arsenic (As) pollution associated with high geological background levels in Bangladesh is well reported and is hitherto the largest mass poisoning in the world. Overall, the contamination levels of heavy metals and metalloids vary among the cities, with industrial areas being most polluted. In all, this review provides a quantitative identification of the As, Pb, Cd, and Cr contamination hotspots in Bangladesh based on the literature, which may be useful to environmental restorationists and local policy makers.

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Remediation of Metal/Metalloid-Polluted Soils: A Short Review

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app11094134 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. 4134

Author(s):

Carla Maria Raffa ◽

Fulvia Chiampo ◽

Subramanian Shanthakumar

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metals ◽

Heavy Metal ◽

Large Scale ◽

Metal Removal ◽

Heavy Metal Removal ◽

Short Review ◽

Contaminated Site ◽

Metals And Metalloids ◽

Low Concentrations ◽

Heavy Metals And Metalloids

The contamination of soil by heavy metals and metalloids is a worldwide problem due to the accumulation of these compounds in the environment, endangering human health, plants, and animals. Heavy metals and metalloids are normally present in nature, but the rise of industrialization has led to concentrations higher than the admissible ones. They are non-biodegradable and toxic, even at very low concentrations. Residues accumulate in living beings and become dangerous every time they are assimilated and stored faster than they are metabolized. Thus, the potentially harmful effects are due to persistence in the environment, bioaccumulation in the organisms, and toxicity. The severity of the effect depends on the type of heavy metal or metalloid. Indeed, some heavy metals (e.g., Mn, Fe, Co, Ni) at very low concentrations are essential for living organisms, while others (e.g., Cd, Pb, and Hg) are nonessential and are toxic even in trace amounts. It is important to monitor the concentration of heavy metals and metalloids in the environment and adopt methods to remove them. For this purpose, various techniques have been developed over the years: physical remediation (e.g., washing, thermal desorption, solidification), chemical remediation (e.g., adsorption, catalysis, precipitation/solubilization, electrokinetic methods), biological remediation (e.g., biodegradation, phytoremediation, bioventing), and combined remediation (e.g., electrokinetic–microbial remediation; washing–microbial degradation). Some of these are well known and used on a large scale, while others are still at the research level. The main evaluation factors for the choice are contaminated site geology, contamination characteristics, cost, feasibility, and sustainability of the applied process, as well as the technology readiness level. This review aims to give a picture of the main techniques of heavy metal removal, also giving elements to assess their potential hazardousness due to their concentrations.

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INFLUENCE OF THE ECOLOGICAL STATE OF THE SEREPOK RIVER (VIETNAM) ON ACCUMULATION OF HEAVY METALS IN ORGANS OF FISH

VESTNIK OF ASTRAKHAN STATE TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY SERIES FISHING INDUSTRY ◽

10.24143/2073-5529-2017-3-98-105 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 98-105

Author(s):

Ngo The Cuong ◽

Tran Hoan Quoc ◽

Svetlana Vasilievna Zolotokopova

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metals ◽

Heavy Metal ◽

River Water ◽

Bottom Sediments ◽

Heavy Metal Concentration ◽

Industrial Areas ◽

Industrial Regions ◽

Cadmium Lead ◽

Sarotherodon Galilaeus ◽

Water Bottom

The article focuses on the study of change of containing heavy metals (zinc, copper, iron, cadmium, lead, arsenic) in the abiotic and biotic components of the Serepok river (Vietman) influenced by wastewater discharge from industrial areas. Heavy metal content was determined in the river water and bottom sediments in the four zones: above and within the boundaries of industrial regions Xoa Phu and Tam Thang and in two water reservoirs situated below the boundaries of those industrial areas. Tilapia Galilean ( Sarotherodon galilaeus ), Hemibagrus ( Hemibagrus ), and sazan ( Cyprinus carpio ) caught in these areas were the hydrobionts under study in which liver, gills, skeleton and muscles accumulation of heavy metals was detected. In the organs of fish caught in the river within industrial region, heavy metals concentration was 3-7 times higher. The greatest concentration of heavy metals was found in the liver and gills of fish caught in the boundaries of industrial regions, the least concentration was in the muscles. In most cases, significant correlation between heavy metal concentration in organs of fishes and in river water, bottom sediments has been revealed.

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PROBLEM OF HEAVY METAL SURFACE SEDIMENT CONTAMINATION IN THE EASTERN GULF OF FINLAND

Proceedings of International Conference "Managinag risks to coastal regions and communities in a changinag world" (EMECS'11 - SeaCoasts XXVI) ◽

10.21610/conferencearticle_58b4316eb2e6d ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

N Derugina ◽

А Grigoriev ◽

A Grigoriev ◽

Дарья Рябчук ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metals ◽

Heavy Metal ◽

Bottom Sediments ◽

Late Holocene ◽

Sediment Contamination ◽

Gulf Of Finland ◽

Slow Decline ◽

Contamination Levels ◽

The Gulf Of Finland ◽

Neva Bay

This project defines the pre-industrial quantities of heavy metals in sediment sequences of the Late Holocene from the Eastern Gulf of Finland. A comparative analysis reveals differences and similarities in the current concentrations of heavy metals in bottom sediments and pre-industrial levels. It is found that the maximum concentrations of heavy metals in the bottom sediments of the Gulf of Finland and Neva Bay occurred in the period of 1950-1990. Since the 1990s, the trend has been a slow decline in the contamination levels; however, the concentrations of some heavy metals in bottom sediments remain high.

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Exposure to mixtures of heavy metals and metalloids in the adult population of Andalusia

Environmental Epidemiology ◽

10.1097/01.ee9.0000609712.23657.a4 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

pp. 337

Author(s):

Rodríguez-Barranco M ◽

Gómez-Ariza J ◽

García-Barrera T ◽

Salamanca-Fernández E ◽

Sanchez M

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metals ◽

Adult Population ◽

Metals And Metalloids ◽

Heavy Metals And Metalloids

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Divergent response of heavy metal bioavailability in soil rhizosphere to agricultural land use change from paddy field to various drylands

Environmental Science Processes & Impacts ◽

10.1039/d0em00501k ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yujuan Gao ◽

Jianli Jia ◽

Beidou Xi ◽

Dongyu Cui ◽

Wenbing Tan

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metals ◽

Heavy Metal ◽

Land Use ◽

Land Use Change ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Rhizosphere Soil ◽

Agricultural Land Use ◽

Metal Bioavailability ◽

Soil Rhizosphere ◽

Divergent Response

The heavy metal pollution induced by agricultural land use change has attracted great attention. In this study, the divergent response of bioavailability of heavy metals in rhizosphere soil to different...

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