VITAL ROLE OF HEAVY METALS IN THE DEGRADATION OF THE ENVIRONMENT

Large material productivity results in the addition of unwanted substances into the environment, which are potentially harmful to living things. The chemical industry’s contribution to human welfare is evident in the wide range of chemicals used in drugs, cosmetics, plastics, synthetic fibres, paints, cleansing agents and many other kinds of consumer products. Major effluents such as antibiotics, radioactive substances, drugs, and heavy metals which are carcinogenic, mutagenic, and teratogenic, finish up in the environment. Heavy metals are accumulated with time in the soils and plants. These heavy metals could turn up with a negative impact on the physiological activities of the plants. Contaminants sourced from the air, soil, water etc. result in the accumulation of heavy metals in the environment. The effect of heavy metals on the environment is reviewed in this paper.