“…Addressing heavy metal pollution requires a combination of preventive measures, including the implementation of cleaner industrial techniques (Priya et al, 2023) and the use of sustainable remediation methods such as phytoremediation (Singh and Pant, 2023), bioremediation, soil amendments (Demarco et al, 2023), and other regulatory actions, such as transitioning to cleaner energy sources that can reduce the environmental impacts of mining and burning fossil fuels, which release heavy metals. Some key problems associated with heavy metal pollution include its toxicity to humans and wildlife, leading to acute and chronic health problems, including neurological disorders (Azar and Vajargar, 2023), kidney damage (Smereczański and Brzóska, 2023), cancer (Parida and Patel, 2023), and developmental issues in children (Zheng et al, 2023). Heavy metals can also negatively impact aquatic food chains, increasing the risk of toxicity for top predators (Li et al, 2023) and disrupting ecosystems by harming key species, reducing biodiversity, and altering nutrient cycling (Li et al, 2023).…”