Environment, metals impact cadmium

Spurgeon, D.J., SR. Hopkin, and D.T. Jones. 1994. Effects of cadmium, copper, lead and zinc on growth, reproduction and survival of the earthworm Eiseniafetida (Savigny) assessing the environmental impact of point-source metal contamination in terrestrial ecosystems. Environ. Pollut. 84 123-130. 

Metabolomics has made remarkable inroads into the environmental research community. Here, a major emphasis is to understand the impact that environmental stress, such as pollution and climate change, has on wildlife. Indeed, many government organizations monitor the prevalence of pollutants in certain species of wildlife as indicators of the exposure risk within the environment. Studies of Japanese medaka have been conducted to investigate the effects of trichloroethylene, a common environmental pollutant, and the pesticide dinoseb, on the development of fish embryos (44, 45). Similarly, cadmium toxicity has been examined in the bank vole and rat and has revealed changes in lipid metabolism that preceded classical nephrotoxicity (46, 47). Another study investigated the effects of environmental toxins on earthworms (48). In particular, the analysis of earthworm tissue extracts by NMR spectroscopy identified maltose as a potential biomarker for ecotoxicity within a metal-contaminated site. 

Acid rain is a threat to our environment because it can increase the concentration of toxic metal ions, such as Cd and Cr, in rivers and streams. If cadmium and chromium are present in sediment as Cd(OH)2 and Cr(OH)3, write reactions that demonstrate the effect of acid rain. Use the library to find the properties of cadmium and chromium responsible for their environmental impact. 

The focus of European legislation for battery waste has been to reduce the impact on the environment of batteries containing heavy metals. Council Directive 91/157/EEC on batteries and accumulators containing certain dangerous substances was introduced with the aim of restricting the use of batteries containing cadmium, mercury and lead and controlling their disposal. 

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