Jornal de Biorremediação e Biodegradação

Abstrato

Accumulation of Heavy Metals in Plant Parts during Phytoremediation

Jahnavi Pandya* and Archana Mankad

The primary source of metal pollution are the burning of fossil fuels, mining and smelting of metallic resources, downwash from power lines, municipal wastes, fertilizer, pesticides and sewage. Although adverse health effects of heavy metals have been known for a long time, exposure to heavy metal continues and is even increasing in some areas for example; mercury is still used in gold mining in many parts of Latin America. Arsenic is still common in wood preservatives and tetra-ethayl lead remains a common additive to petrol, although this use has decreased dramatically in the developed countries. Since the middle of the 19th century, production of heavy metals increased steeply for more than 1000 years, with concomitant emission to the environment.