Metal pollution human health

Assessments of atmospheric pollution have been made by the regional (MSCE-HM) and the hemispherical (MSCE-HM-Hem) transport models developed in MSC-E (Ilyin et al 2004). The regional model covers the EMEP region (European domain) with the spatial resolution of 50 x 50 km the hemispheric model describes the atmospheric transport within the Northern Hemisphere with the spatial resolution of 2.5 x 2.5 . The main outputs of the modeling include data on heavy metal concentration in the air and precipitation as well as levels of deposition to the surface. Since the negative impact of heavy metals on human health and biota is mainly attributed to their long-term accumulation in environmental media, particular attention has been given to the assessment of their depositions from the atmosphere. 

Arctic Pollution, Persistent Organic Pollutants, Heavy Metals, Radioactivity, Human Health, Changing Pathways, Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme, 2002. http //amap.no/documents. 

Hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) are substances that may cause immediate or long-term adverse effects on human health. HAPs can be gases, particulates, trace metals such as mercui y, and vapors such as benzene. For coal-fired power plants, the HAPs of most concern are metals such as mercury, arsenic, and vanadium. 

Splash condenser dross residue. The treatment of steel production pollution control sludge generates a zinc-laden residue, called dross. This material, generated from a splash condenser in a high-temperature metal recovery process, is known as a splash condenser dross residue. Because this material contains 50 to 60% zinc, it is often reclaimed, reused, or processed as a valuable recyclable material. Facilities commonly handle this material as a valuable commodity by managing it in a way that is protective of human health and the environment, so U.S. EPA excluded this residue from the definition of solid waste. 

Convention on Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal and 69 ratified the ban on all kinds of hazardous waste export from wealthy OECD-countries to non-OECD countries, large amounts of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) are shipped overseas for recycling, the majority to China as reported by Brigden et al. [2] and Puckett et al. [3], lesser quantities to India and Western Africa reported by Kuper and Hojsik [4]. WEEE contains a variety of harmful substances like endocrine disruptors and persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Additionally, hazardous substances may be formed during informal recycling. This often practised informal treatment without proper equipment for metal extraction and labour safety heavily affects the environment and human health of workers and the inhabitants of whole stretches of land. 

Pollution of soils and waters by human activities is an important and widespread problem. This pollution by, organic and inorganic substances can affect individual organisms, human populations, and ecosystems, each in its own unique way. In particular former military installations, often used for weapons production and nuclear power plants represent a ongoing and substantial threat to environment and human health because of the specific pollutants that can be released Solvents, explosives, fuels, radionuclides, heavy metals, and metalloids all have been identified in the environment around these installations. Remediation technologies for these contaminated sites have been developed based on conventional systems utilising physical and chemical treatments, such as excavation and incineration, pump-and-treat methods, ultraviolet oxidation, soil washing, etc. 

The air emissions of fossil fuel combustion are dispersed and diluted within the atmosphere, eventually falling or migrating to the surface of the Earth or ocean at various rates. Until recently, most attention was focused on the so-called primary pollutants of fossil fuel combustion that are harmful to human health oxides of sulphur and nitrogen, carbon monoxide, suspended particles (including soot), heavy metals, and products of incomplete combustion. These pollutants are most concentrated in urban or industrialized areas close to large or multiple sources. However, the primary pollutants may interact with each other, and with atmospheric constituents and sunlight, forming secondary pollutants that disperse far beyond the urban-... 

In 1995, the amendments to the Clean Air Act included requirements for maximum achievable control technology (MACT) for pollutants, including dioxins and metals. The EPA has since promulgated regulations that will have to be met by a modified baseline process for the Pueblo site (EPA, 1999). In addition, EPA is reviewing the effects of dioxins on human health because some evidence indicates dioxins may be more harmful in the food chain than previously thought (Kaiser, 2000). If dioxin emission standards are modified, analytical procedures will need to be reviewed. 

The severity of the air pollution problem becomes obvious as we learn to recognize the effects of aerial toxicants upon biological systems. The aesthetic degradation of the air by a pall of smoke is obvious, but the toxic subtleties of S02, heavy metal, or ozone are not as easy to recognize and evaluate. Establishing repeatable cause/effect data in regard to air pollution effects has been a principal problem in the area of human health effects. Fortunately, cause and effect data are obtainable in plant investigations, and even with our current limitations on symptom-... 

Heavy metais constitute part of these toxic substances and may be derived from particular industrial processes or from wastewater treatment processes. Therefore, the re-employment of sludges with high content of heavy metals in agriculture as fertilizers involves strong risks for human health because of their entry into the food chain and subsequent accumulation in soils or plants and also because of possible pollution of ground and/or superficial waters (4), to which pollutants contained in rainwater may also contribute (5). 

Evolution took place under relatively constant environmental conditions, but more recently, within the last 3000 years, and especially the last 200 years, human activities such as mining, large-scale utilization of metals such as lead, mercury, and cadmium and the growth of the chemical, petrochemical, and other industries, have lead to quite serious local disturbances, and to much smaller global changes of the environment that have already been, or may yet be demonstrated to be seriously detrimental to many living systems. Some of the effects of metal pollution on human health will be discussed in the next chapter. 

As we have seen the morbidity cases of respiratory and alimentary systems highlight the inter-correlation between biogeochemical food web, pollution loading and human health. However, the physiological response of central nervous and cardiovascular systems to heavy metals and pesticides is also known and the relevant analysis of morbidity of cardiovascular system and psychological distresses was carried out in 1991-1997 in the industrial area of Crimea—Armyansk city, Ukraine (Evstafieva et al, 1999). The correlation between morbidity of a respiratory system and pollutants emissions was found (Figure 6). 

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