A Review on the Effects of Heavy Metals on Aquatic Animals

Abstract

The development of industries and the uncontrolled increase of population, the development of agricultural areas and the use of fertilizers and pesticides have caused industrial and municipal wastewaters as well as agricultural effluents with heavy metals to enter water ecosystems. After entering aquatic ecosystems, heavy metals accumulate in aquatic tissues and eventually enter the food chain. Research on heavy metal pollution in aquatic ecosystems is important from a public health perspective, maintaining the balance of those ecosystems and preventing biodegradation due to the adverse effects of pollutants. So, researchers have focused on determining the level of pollution of various water sources, how metals are absorbed by aquatic animals, bioaccumulation of heavy metals in various aquatic tissues and the possibility of using aquatic animals as biological indicators based on pollutant monitoring. Due to the importance of this issue, the present study has investigated the effect of heavy metals on fish.

Nanoscale zerovalent copper (nZVC) catalyzed environmental remediation of organic and inorganic contaminants: A review

“…Heavy metals are considered highly toxic due to their high degree of bioaccumulation efficiencies (Bonsignore et al, 2018;Vajargah, 2021) and the role it plays in the inhibition of various enzymatic activities in humans that result in organ damage (Fu and Xi, 2020;Lopina, 2017). Although the reports are limited, zerovalent copper has been effectively used for the remediation of heavy metals from aqueous medium (Table 4).…”

Impact of lead and cadmium chronic exposure on some physiological parameters of the Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

“…Human activities have amplified the levels of heavy metal ions in natural water systems. Furthermore, industrial wastes such as paints, pesticides, textiles, fertilizers, leather, pharmaceuticals, and domestic effluents, as well as agricultural runoff, all supply loads of metals to the water ecosystem (Al Naggar et al, 2018;Vajargah, 2021).…”

A Critical Review of Snail Shell Material Modification for Applications in Wastewater Treatment

“…Heavy metals are necessary for human metabolism; however, high concentrations can be toxic and dangerous to humans [ 16 , 17 ]. Even more dangerously, if the body accumulates large amounts of heavy metals, it will cause many serious complications, including brain damage, shrinking muscle bundles, deformed fingers, legs, and joints, patients going insane, and death after a few hours to several months or years of exposure [ 18 , 19 ]. Therefore, studying the presence of heavy metals and how to treat them in polluted areas has been of great interest in developing countries [ 20 , 21 ].…”