An Academic Review on Heavy Metals in the Environment: Effects on Soil, Plants Human Health, and Possible Solutions

Heavy metal uptake by plants and successive accumulation in human tissues and biomagnification through the food chain cause significant concerns for both human health and the environment. Human activities, including industrial, agricultural, traffic, domestic, and mining processes, have increased the toxic levels of these metals beyond those contributed by natural rock-forming processes. Heavy metals are potentially toxic to plants, resulting in chlorosis, weak growth, yield depression, reduced nutrient uptake, metabolic disorders, and diminished nitrogen-fixation ability. Utilization of food crops contaminated with heavy metals is a major food chain route for human exposure. The cultivation of plants in contaminated soil poses a potential risk since vegetal tissues can accumulate heavy metals. Owing to their toxicity and potential for bioaccumulation, these compounds should be subject to mandatory monitoring, particularly in soil and plants, to prevent their entry into the human food system. Furthermore, studies have shown that phytoremediation and microbial remediation are promising techniques for mitigating the negative effects of heavy metals contamination. These methods are environmentally friendly and economically effective, making them applicable globally. This review paper summarizes the effects of heavy metals in our environment by examining relevant works related to the topic. To achieve this, databases such as Google Scholar, Frontier in Microbiology, African Journals Online (AJOL), Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) were explored to identify studies on the effects on soil, plants, human health and managing heavy metals in the environment.