Heavy Metals and Pesticides Toxicity in Agricultural Soil and Plants: Ecological Risks and Human Health Implications

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Abstract

Environmental problems have always received immense attention from scientists. Toxicants pollution is a critical environmental concern that has posed serious threats to human health and agricultural production. Heavy metals and pesticides are top of the list of environmental toxicants endangering nature. This review focuses on the toxic effect of heavy metals (cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn)) and pesticides (insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides) adversely influencing the agricultural ecosystem (plant and soil) and human health. Furthermore, heavy metals accumulation and pesticide residues in soils and plants have been discussed in detail. In addition, the characteristics of contaminated soil and plant physiological parameters have been reviewed. Moreover, human diseases caused by exposure to heavy metals and pesticides were also reported. The bioaccumulation, mechanism of action, and transmission pathways of both heavy metals and pesticides are emphasized. In addition, the bioavailability in soil and plant uptake of these contaminants has also been considered. Meanwhile, the synergistic and antagonistic interactions between heavy metals and pesticides and their combined toxic effects have been discussed. Previous relevant studies are included to cover all aspects of this review. The information in this review provides deep insights into the understanding of environmental toxicants and their hazardous effects.

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Most cited references 280

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Reactive oxygen species and antioxidant machinery in abiotic stress tolerance in crop plants.

Sarvajeet Gill, Narendra Tuteja (2010)

Various abiotic stresses lead to the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in plants which are highly reactive and toxic and cause damage to proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and DNA which ultimately results in oxidative stress. The ROS comprises both free radical (O(2)(-), superoxide radicals; OH, hydroxyl radical; HO(2), perhydroxy radical and RO, alkoxy radicals) and non-radical (molecular) forms (H(2)O(2), hydrogen peroxide and (1)O(2), singlet oxygen). In chloroplasts, photosystem I and II (PSI and PSII) are the major sites for the production of (1)O(2) and O(2)(-). In mitochondria, complex I, ubiquinone and complex III of electron transport chain (ETC) are the major sites for the generation of O(2)(-). The antioxidant defense machinery protects plants against oxidative stress damages. Plants possess very efficient enzymatic (superoxide dismutase, SOD; catalase, CAT; ascorbate peroxidase, APX; glutathione reductase, GR; monodehydroascorbate reductase, MDHAR; dehydroascorbate reductase, DHAR; glutathione peroxidase, GPX; guaicol peroxidase, GOPX and glutathione-S- transferase, GST) and non-enzymatic (ascorbic acid, ASH; glutathione, GSH; phenolic compounds, alkaloids, non-protein amino acids and α-tocopherols) antioxidant defense systems which work in concert to control the cascades of uncontrolled oxidation and protect plant cells from oxidative damage by scavenging of ROS. ROS also influence the expression of a number of genes and therefore control the many processes like growth, cell cycle, programmed cell death (PCD), abiotic stress responses, pathogen defense, systemic signaling and development. In this review, we describe the biochemistry of ROS and their production sites, and ROS scavenging antioxidant defense machinery. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

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Pesticide Exposure, Safety Issues, and Risk Assessment Indicators

Christos A. Damalas, Ilias Eleftherohorinos (2011)

Pesticides are widely used in agricultural production to prevent or control pests, diseases, weeds, and other plant pathogens in an effort to reduce or eliminate yield losses and maintain high product quality. Although pesticides are developed through very strict regulation processes to function with reasonable certainty and minimal impact on human health and the environment, serious concerns have been raised about health risks resulting from occupational exposure and from residues in food and drinking water. Occupational exposure to pesticides often occurs in the case of agricultural workers in open fields and greenhouses, workers in the pesticide industry, and exterminators of house pests. Exposure of the general population to pesticides occurs primarily through eating food and drinking water contaminated with pesticide residues, whereas substantial exposure can also occur in or around the home. Regarding the adverse effects on the environment (water, soil and air contamination from leaching, runoff, and spray drift, as well as the detrimental effects on wildlife, fish, plants, and other non-target organisms), many of these effects depend on the toxicity of the pesticide, the measures taken during its application, the dosage applied, the adsorption on soil colloids, the weather conditions prevailing after application, and how long the pesticide persists in the environment. Therefore, the risk assessment of the impact of pesticides either on human health or on the environment is not an easy and particularly accurate process because of differences in the periods and levels of exposure, the types of pesticides used (regarding toxicity and persistence), and the environmental characteristics of the areas where pesticides are usually applied. Also, the number of the criteria used and the method of their implementation to assess the adverse effects of pesticides on human health could affect risk assessment and would possibly affect the characterization of the already approved pesticides and the approval of the new compounds in the near future. Thus, new tools or techniques with greater reliability than those already existing are needed to predict the potential hazards of pesticides and thus contribute to reduction of the adverse effects on human health and the environment. On the other hand, the implementation of alternative cropping systems that are less dependent on pesticides, the development of new pesticides with novel modes of action and improved safety profiles, and the improvement of the already used pesticide formulations towards safer formulations (e.g., microcapsule suspensions) could reduce the adverse effects of farming and particularly the toxic effects of pesticides. In addition, the use of appropriate and well-maintained spraying equipment along with taking all precautions that are required in all stages of pesticide handling could minimize human exposure to pesticides and their potential adverse effects on the environment.

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Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology of Hazardous Heavy Metals: Environmental Persistence, Toxicity, and Bioaccumulation

Hazrat Ali, Ezzat Khan, Ikram Ilahi (2019)

Heavy metals are well-known environmental pollutants due to their toxicity, persistence in the environment, and bioaccumulative nature. Their natural sources include weathering of metal-bearing rocks and volcanic eruptions, while anthropogenic sources include mining and various industrial and agricultural activities. Mining and industrial processing for extraction of mineral resources and their subsequent applications for industrial, agricultural, and economic development has led to an increase in the mobilization of these elements in the environment and disturbance of their biogeochemical cycles. Contamination of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems with toxic heavy metals is an environmental problem of public health concern. Being persistent pollutants, heavy metals accumulate in the environment and consequently contaminate the food chains. Accumulation of potentially toxic heavy metals in biota causes a potential health threat to their consumers including humans. This article comprehensively reviews the different aspects of heavy metals as hazardous materials with special focus on their environmental persistence, toxicity for living organisms, and bioaccumulative potential. The bioaccumulation of these elements and its implications for human health are discussed with a special coverage on fish, rice, and tobacco. The article will serve as a valuable educational resource for both undergraduate and graduate students and for researchers in environmental sciences. Environmentally relevant most hazardous heavy metals and metalloids include Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, Hg, and As. The trophic transfer of these elements in aquatic and terrestrial food chains/webs has important implications for wildlife and human health. It is very important to assess and monitor the concentrations of potentially toxic heavy metals and metalloids in different environmental segments and in the resident biota. A comprehensive study of the environmental chemistry and ecotoxicology of hazardous heavy metals and metalloids shows that steps should be taken to minimize the impact of these elements on human health and the environment.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Luis Alberto Henríquez-Hernández: Role: Academic Editor

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Toxics

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Toxics

Journal ID (publisher-id): toxics

Title: Toxics

Publisher: MDPI

ISSN (Electronic): 2305-6304

Publication date (Electronic): 25 February 2021

Publication date Collection: March 2021

Volume: 9

Issue: 3

Electronic Location Identifier: 42

Affiliations

[1 ]College of Engineering, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; ahmed.alengebawy@ 123456yahoo.com

[2 ]Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; staha2015@ 123456yahoo.com (S.T.A.); sundasqureshi.pk@ 123456hotmail.com (S.R.Q.)

[3 ]Department of Entomology, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11566, Egypt

Author notes

[* ]Correspondence: mqwang@ 123456mail.hzau.edu.cn ; Tel.: +8613627126839

Author information

Ahmed Alengebawy https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0826-6482

Sara Taha Abdelkhalek https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0761-8685

Man-Qun Wang https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1768-0722

Article

Publisher ID: toxics-09-00042

DOI: 10.3390/toxics9030042

PMC ID: 7996329

PubMed ID: 33668829

SO-VID: 66a201d0-46ee-436f-bb44-1ba443d58af2

License:

Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

History

Date received : 29 December 2020

Date accepted : 17 February 2021

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Most cited references 280

Reactive oxygen species and antioxidant machinery in abiotic stress tolerance in crop plants.

Pesticide Exposure, Safety Issues, and Risk Assessment Indicators

Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology of Hazardous Heavy Metals: Environmental Persistence, Toxicity, and Bioaccumulation

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