Department of Metallurgy, School of Mining, Metallurgy and Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Mining, Metallurgy and Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Mar 25;17(7):2204. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17072204.
The problem of environmental pollution is a global concern as it affects the entire ecosystem. There is a cyclic revolution of pollutants from industrial waste or anthropogenic sources into the environment, farmlands, plants, livestock and subsequently humans through the food chain. Most of the toxic metal cases in Africa and other developing nations are a result of industrialization coupled with poor effluent disposal and management. Due to widespread mining activities in South Africa, pollution is a common site with devastating consequences on the health of animals and humans likewise. In recent years, talks on toxic metal pollution had taken center stage in most scientific symposiums as a serious health concern. Very high levels of toxic metals have been reported in most parts of South African soils, plants, animals and water bodies due to pollution. Toxic metals such as Zinc (Zn), Lead (Pb), Aluminium (Al), Cadmium (Cd), Nickel (Ni), Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn) and Arsenic (As) are major mining effluents from tailings which contaminate both the surface and underground water, soil and food, thus affecting biological function, endocrine systems and growth. Environmental toxicity in livestock is traceable to pesticides, agrochemicals and toxic metals. In this review, concerted efforts were made to condense the information contained in literature regarding toxic metal pollution and its implications in soil, water, plants, animals, marine life and human health.
环境污染问题是一个全球性的问题，因为它影响到整个生态系统。污染物从工业废物或人为来源循环进入环境、农田、植物、牲畜，然后通过食物链进入人类。非洲和其他发展中国家的大多数有毒金属病例都是工业化与污水排放和管理不善相结合的结果。由于南非广泛的采矿活动，污染是一个常见的问题，对动物和人类的健康同样造成了破坏性的影响。近年来，有毒金属污染问题在大多数科学研讨会上成为焦点，成为一个严重的健康问题。由于污染，南非大部分地区的土壤、植物、动物和水体中都报告了极高水平的有毒金属。锌（Zn）、铅（Pb）、铝（Al）、镉（Cd）、镍（Ni）、铁（Fe）、锰（Mn）和砷（As）等有毒金属是尾矿中的主要采矿废水，污染地表水和地下水、土壤和食物，从而影响生物功能、内分泌系统和生长。牲畜的环境毒性可追溯到农药、农用化学品和有毒金属。在这篇综述中，我们努力浓缩了文献中关于有毒金属污染及其对土壤、水、植物、动物、海洋生物和人类健康影响的信息。
