Heavy Metals in the Environment – Causes and Consequences
A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Earth Sciences".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2021) | Viewed by 34366
Special Issue Editor
Interests: hillslope geomorphology; geochemistry; heavy metals; geotourism; geoheritage; landscape ecology; soil and gully erosion
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
One of the consequences of industrial and transport development is the increase of heavy metal content in the environment. Human activity is manifested in the creation of new migration routes for these elements, accelerating their circulation and releasing such elements as Pb, Zn, and Cd, which until now have been immobilized in the rocks. The intensification of these negative phenomena was brought about by the Industrial Revolution of the 18th century, which initiated a period of irreversible changes, often of a global nature. The highest heavy metal emissions in industrialized countries occurred in the 1960s and 1970s. However, these emissions remain high in developing countries. Heavy metals are found in the air we breathe and the food we eat. This contributes to an increased incidence of many diseases.
Therefore, determining the contemporary levels of heavy metal pollution of air, water, soil, and sediments; trends in concentration changes; determinants of these processes; and threats to living organisms associated with increased levels in the environment becomes extremely important. It is particularly crucial to investigate elements that are toxic to humans, such as lead, cadmium, and mercury. The thematic scope of this SI includes the assessment of the pollution level and the associated health risk, determining the main sources of heavy metal emissions into the environment, spatial conditions for the diversity of their concentration in the environment, contemporary trends in content changes, methods for reducing the environmental risk associated with these elements, and remediation of contaminated components. Studies involving more than one element of the environment will be particularly valuable.
Prof. Dr. Wojciech Zgłobicki
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- Air, water, and soil pollution
- Geochemistry
- Heavy metals
- Health risk
- Human impact
- Street dust
- Urban environment
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