Heavy metals can be defined as having high-density atomic weight or the atomic number, for example, heavy metals can be distinguished based on density. Some heavy metals are either essential nutrients usually Iron, cobalt, and zinc or relatively harmless such as ruthenium, silver, and indium. Other heavy metals like cadmium, mercury and lead which are considered highly toxic. Heavy metals are rare in the earth, such as cadmium which is a heavy metal that is widely spread on the earth crust. However, heavy metals are also dangerous to human health. The public is exposed to these metals through drinking water and it could have potential hazards. Many researchers mentioned that these materials can be found naturally in the earth 1. Lead is the most prevalence of heavy metal pollutants as a component of tetraethyl lead (TEL). In this study, a field cultivation technique is performed to study the applicability of using algae as a treatment of water contaminated with heavy metals.
Heavy metals are chemically structural elements of metals such as lead, zinc, arsenic and cadmium, copper, titanium, aluminium, and mercury. They are in the form of a metal or dissolved salt which is can be used in many things. Lead metal is used for metallic coating and in the manufacture of ammunition and used cold in the manufacture of inks and coarse smelting. Lead salt is used in car batteries, plastics industries as a catalyst and rodents poisons. The organic complexes of these materials such as tetraethyl lead are used as a fuel additive to increase the number of octanes. In addition, titanium is used in metallic coatings and its salts are involved in the paints industry. Moreover, Copper has many uses too. It is used very considerable in the automotive industry, wires and household appliances whereas, its salt can be used in the manufacturing of colours. Zinc is similar to copper in its uses. Also, mercury is used as a liquid metal in thermometers and manufacture of thermal sensors as well as the extraction of precious metals. However, the salt form of mercury can be used in solutions as a carrier of electric current as well as in the manufacture of pesticides. In the other hand, Cadmium is used in dry batteries industry2.
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Urban areas generally have a higher heavy metal cover the water surface. Urban water gets polluted in many ways, for example, lead in gasoline and ink printers in some countries still do not prohibit its use in these applications. Lead is the heaviest metal in terms of poisoning whether for humans, wild animals, plants, or marine life. It can damage bones, blood, kidneys, brain and thyroid which also affect mental retardation in children, and if the doses were large, it leads to nervous spasms in humans and death. Southeast Asia is the most affected region by lead poisoning, there is bout quarter of a million people are poisoned by lead every year. Whereas, the same number recorded in the rest of the world 3.
Heavy metal compounds are used in many applications for their admirable physical and chemical properties. They are good heat and electricity conductor and its compounds are coloured and have high stability which is not quickly affected by the weather. However, the most important result of their use is toxins that affect plants, humans and animals. Also, they build cumulative concentrations within the body, whether in the liver, muscle or fat, which increases the likelihood of human damage without their knowledge of the direct cause4.
Pollution with heavy metals comes from different sources such as releasing from the accumulation of impurities of elements releases from the accumulation of impurities of elements that include; energy from coal-burning and heat production, energy production from other fossil carbon fuels, cement production (mercury in lime) Mining and other mineral activities including extraction and processing of raw and recycled mineral materials
Their turnover like production includes Iron and steel, magnesite, zinc, non-ferrous metals, and oil production. Releases from intentional extraction and use of heavy metals, include extraction of mercury from metals, small-scale gold mining (amalgamation process), production of chlorine-alkali-detergents, using of fluorescent lamps, tools, amalgam fillings and so on. Manufacturing of mercury-containing products are thermometers, manual measuring instruments and others, electrical and electronic switches, biopesticides such as fogging seeds, pesticides and meagre pesticides using other products such as batteries, fireworks and laboratory chemicals. Releases from waste treatment, cremation etc. arising from both impurities and use proved heavy elements which include waste incineration (municipal, medical, and hazardous waste), landfill sites, cremation, landfills (release into the soil), Recycling and storage, as well as industrial wastewater. Industrial wastewater contaminated with liquid wastes containing heavy elements such as industrial wastes electroplating and metal smelting.
Heavy metals enter our bodies in two ways
Heavy metals can enter our body in a few ways. first is by Inhalation. heavy metals polluted the air that we breathe due to human activities and natural phenomena. People who work in factories mines, industrial zones, paper processing plants and nuclear power plants are particularly vulnerable for airborne heavy metals5. And second is by Ingestion. Eating animals and plant food production is the main source of contamination with heavy metals. The industrial waste can also be the cause of contamination of water sources, such as lakes rivers, streams. This can severely damage the central nervous system and have fatal repercussions on the heart and blood vessels.
How heavy metals affect if they enter the body
There are residues produced, work must be done to clarify their harmful effects on the environment and humans. The element cadmium is one of the most toxic minerals, because of the serious health damage it may cause to the human body. Dr Simo Baconen, a professor in the Chemical Engineering program at Masdar Institute of Science and Technology explained that cadmium is natural, hazardous concentrations presented by some industries and it is the most common cause and poses a risk to the population of humans and the environment5. Cadmium mining is one of the industries that succeed in the production of batteries, fertilizers, colours, foundry industries, municipal waste and wastewater. However, it is not alien to the region where it was found in species of fish carrying high levels of the poison. these toxins can be found in the hundreds of thousands of fish that have been ingested during years ago, but there were no labs or scientists who were looking into which toxins
are found in these fish. It is noticeable that finding ways to remove cadmium from an environment is beneficial to human health and the environment in which they live6. This is why a team from the Masdar Institute conducts research to uncover some natural and sustainable materials, which are characterized by the ability to collect and remove this metal, and this material is called Chitosan (is a linear polysaccharide composed). It can be extracted from chitin which is a protein found in crustaceans such as shrimp. By curing chitosan with certain chemical groups, we can change the surface of chitosan to make it adherent and thereby dismantle the cadmium metal particles to become trapped. Chitosan filtrates, thus taking toxic metal particles with it and leaving the water clean. The next step after that is the possibility of separating cadmium metal from chitosan by washing, leaving behind it two separate substances that can be used for other purposes. In addition, chitosan can also be reused to remove more cadmium which in turn can be utilized by selling it. In this way, we have removed hazardous pollutants that would reach groundwater, soil and Gulf waters, as well as produce a relevant product commercial value7.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this report covers one of most important issue (heavy metal pollution) which is very dangerous to the human, animals and plant on the earth planet. However, it illustrates a technique to reduce toxins metals in water. In addition, resources of heavy metals in water were mentioned in detailed. The human’s body and how it is affected by heavy metal also explained in this report.
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