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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Heavy Metal Contamination in Urban Soils: Health Impacts on Humans and Plants: A Review
ClearEnvironmental pollution indices: a review on concentration of heavy metals in air, water, and soil near industrialization and urbanisation
This review examines how industrial and urban activity raises heavy metal levels in air, water, and soil. Heavy metals from industrial waste, mining, and agriculture can damage cells and increase cancer risk, highlighting the need for comprehensive monitoring near industrial zones.
Effect of landfill leachates on urban soil: A review
This review examines how landfill leachate — which contains heavy metals, organic compounds, and emerging contaminants — affects urban soils, in the context of global concerns about the 1.4 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste deposited in landfills annually.
Urban Soils and Road Dust—Civilization Effects and Metal Pollution—A Review
This review examined how urbanization changes soil structure, composition, and metal pollution, covering compaction, sealing, contamination from traffic and industry, and the accumulation of platinum group metals from catalytic converter wear — with examples drawn from cities on multiple continents.
Sources, effects and present perspectives of heavy metals contamination: soil, plants and human food chain
This review summarizes how heavy metals like lead, cadmium, and arsenic contaminate soil, get absorbed by crops, and enter the human food chain. Heavy metals at high levels can damage plant growth and accumulate in food at concentrations unsafe for human consumption. This is relevant to microplastics research because microplastics in soil can bind and transport heavy metals, potentially increasing the amount that ends up in the food we eat.
A review of soil pollution, causes, and health effects
This review summarized the causes, extent, and health effects of soil pollution, covering both natural and anthropogenic sources including industrial activity, agriculture, and urbanization. The paper discussed how soil contamination degrades agricultural productivity, contaminates water resources, and poses direct risks to human health.
Accumulation Characteristics and Pollution Evaluation of Soil Heavy Metals in Different Land Use Types: Study on the Whole Region of Tianjin
Researchers analyzed heavy metal accumulation across different land use types throughout Tianjin, China, finding that pollution levels and spatial distribution varied significantly by land use, with industrial and traffic-related activities identified as primary contamination sources.
Bioaccumulation of Heavy Metals in a Soil–Plant System from an Open Dumpsite and the Associated Health Risks through Multiple Routes
Researchers studied heavy metal contamination in soil and plants at a municipal waste dump site, screening native plant species for their ability to absorb and accumulate metals. They found that certain plants showed strong potential as hyperaccumulators that could be used for bioremediation of contaminated land. The study also assessed health risks to nearby populations from exposure through ingestion, skin contact, and inhalation of contaminated soil and plant material.
Asia’s soil contamination crisis: causes, consequences, and sustainable solutions: a comprehensive review
This review addresses Asia's soil contamination crisis, examining how rapid urbanization, intensive agriculture, and poor waste management have created widespread heavy metal and microplastic soil pollution threatening food security, biodiversity, and human health across the continent.
Advances in Studies on Heavy Metals in Urban Soil: A Bibliometric Analysis
This bibliometric analysis maps two decades of research on heavy metal contamination in urban soils, identifying key trends, leading researchers, and priority topics. The field has grown significantly, with focus areas including pollution source identification, health risk assessment, and the use of environmental magnetism techniques. While centered on heavy metals rather than microplastics, the research is relevant because microplastics in urban soil often carry and concentrate heavy metals, creating combined pollution that threatens human health.
Appraisal of Heavy Metals Accumulation, Physiological Response, and Human Health Risks of Five Crop Species Grown at Various Distances from Traffic Highway
Researchers examined heavy metal accumulation in five crop species grown at various distances from a traffic highway, finding that proximity to roads significantly increased metal contamination in crops and posed potential health risks through the food chain.
Influencing mechanisms of microplastics existence on soil heavy metals accumulated by plants
This review summarizes existing research on how microplastics in soil affect the uptake of heavy metals by plants. Microplastics can change soil chemistry and microbial communities in ways that alter how much toxic metals plants absorb through their roots. This is concerning for human health because microplastic-contaminated agricultural soil could lead to crops that contain higher levels of dangerous heavy metals.
Exploring heavy metal dynamics and risks from dust and soil in urban cities of Jharkhand, India
Researchers assessed heavy metal contamination in indoor dust, street dust, and soil across four major cities in Jharkhand, India, finding that zinc, copper, and lead were the most common pollutants. Indoor dust showed higher metal concentrations than outdoor samples, suggesting significant indoor contamination sources from vehicles, paints, and manufacturing. The study emphasizes the need for stricter regulations to mitigate metal emissions in industrialized urban areas.
Racial Disparities in the Heavy Metal Contamination of Urban Soil in the Southeastern United States
Researchers analyzed urban soil samples from eight cities across the southeastern United States to examine racial disparities in heavy metal contamination exposure. They found that soil in predominantly minority and low socioeconomic communities contained significantly higher levels of certain heavy metals. The study provides field-based evidence that environmental contamination disproportionately burdens communities of color and lower socioeconomic status.
Spatial and temporal variability of Cadmium and Lead in Urban Soils of Thessaloniki (northern Greece).
This study monitored cadmium and lead contamination in urban soils of Thessaloniki, Greece over two years, finding variable heavy metal levels linked to traffic and industrial activity. Heavy metals and microplastics frequently co-occur in urban environments and can interact to increase combined toxicity.
A Systematic Review and Characterization of the Major and Most Studied Urban Soil Threats in the European Union
Researchers systematically reviewed research on urban soil pollution across Europe, comparing two literature analysis methods, and found that heavy metals and soil organic carbon loss are the two biggest threats to city soils. The study highlights major evidence gaps that need to be filled to support the EU's Zero Pollution Action Plan.
Characteristics of Soil Heavy Metal Pollution and Health Risks in Chenzhou City
Researchers analyzed 600 soil samples in Chenzhou City, China, and found that while most areas had low to moderate heavy metal contamination, about 3% of samples showed high ecological risk from metals like mercury and cadmium near industrial zones. While focused on heavy metals rather than microplastics, the study is relevant because microplastics in soil can absorb and transport these same toxic metals, potentially increasing human exposure through crops grown in contaminated areas.
Interaction of Heavy Metals with Plastic Contaminated Soil
This study reviews and investigates how microplastic contamination in soil interacts with heavy metals, finding that plastic particles alter soil behavior and can change how toxic metals move through and bind to soil. Because microplastics increase soil permeability and adsorb metals, their presence in landfills and near industrial sites raises concern about groundwater contamination from combined plastic and metal pollution.
Potentially Toxic Trace Elements in the Urban Soils of Santiago de Compostela (Northwestern Spain)
Scientists measured potentially toxic metals (copper, lead, zinc, nickel, chromium, arsenic) in urban soils across the city of Santiago de Compostela, Spain, finding elevated concentrations in areas with heavy traffic and industrial activity. The study highlights how urban land use drives heavy metal contamination, which often co-occurs with microplastic pollution.
A brief outlook on soil pollution and its control measures
This review examined soil pollution causes, consequences, and control measures, covering contamination from pesticides, herbicides, petroleum hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and other chemical sources from both human activities and natural processes. The review assessed impacts on plant productivity, soil quality, groundwater quality, and human health, along with remediation strategies.
Coexistence of microplastics and heavy metals in soil: Occurrence, transport, key interactions and effect on plants
This review examines how microplastics and heavy metals like lead, cadmium, and arsenic interact in soil, often creating combined toxic effects on plants that differ from either pollutant alone. These interactions are relevant to human health because contaminated crops can transfer both microplastics and heavy metals to people through the food supply.
Assessment of soil microplastics: An overview on toxicity, effects on heavy metals adsorption, solid-phase extraction, and detection techniques
This review examined how microplastics in soil enter the food chain and pose human health risks, with particular attention to their role as carriers for heavy metals. Agricultural practices like plastic mulching and sewage sludge application were identified as major sources of soil MP contamination.
Dermal Exposure to Heavy Metals in Urban Green Space Soils: A Review of Bioavailability, Toxic Mechanisms, and Precision Risk Assessment
This review study found that current methods for measuring heavy metal contamination in urban park soils may be overestimating health risks by not considering how much of these metals can actually be absorbed through skin contact. The researchers propose better testing methods that focus on "bioavailability" — meaning how much of the metal pollution your body can actually absorb when you touch contaminated soil. This matters because more accurate risk assessment could help city planners make better decisions about park safety without being overly cautious about areas that may not pose real health threats.
Urban soil pollution in Türkiye: a review of potentially toxic elements, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and microplastics in major cities
This review summarizes the state of urban soil pollution in major Turkish cities, focusing on toxic metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and microplastics. Researchers found that cadmium and lead frequently exceeded national soil quality limits, microplastics were most abundant in parks and along roadsides, and pollution hotspots concentrated around industrial areas and traffic corridors. The study highlights the need for more systematic monitoring to develop effective soil management and remediation strategies.
Characterization of Microplastics and Associated Heavy Metals in Urban Soils Affected by Anthropogenic Littering: Distribution, Spatial Variation, and Influence of Soil Properties
Researchers sampled soils across residential, commercial, and industrial land-use types in urban areas and found microplastics in every location, with polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyamide as the dominant polymer types, at concentrations up to 850,000 particles per kilogram. Heavy metals were also associated with the plastic particles, meaning microplastics in urban soil may serve as combined carriers of chemical toxicants. The findings highlight urban soil as a major but underappreciated reservoir of microplastic pollution.