How does heavy metal affect water quality and can heavy metal pollution be prevented in water and can heavy metal poisoning is prevented?
The percolating water picks up a large number of heavy metals and reaches the aquifer system and contaminates the ground water. The usage of the contaminated bore water causes the diseases. Mercury, Arsenic and Cadmium are used or released by many industries. Acute and choric illnesses are caused by heavy metal concentrations in drinking water that exceed the permissible limits. These can range from nonfatal, such as muscle and physical weakness, to fatal, such as brain, nervous system. Cd is an extremely toxic heavy metal, even in low concentrations. It leaches into the soil through water and further bio-accumulates in organisms and ecosystems; in addition, Cd has a long biological half-life in the human body, ranging from 10 to 33 years. The long-term exposure to Cd induces renal damage. Sixteen heavy metals were analyzed in groundwater and the order of dominance of these heavy metals was: chromium < zinc < copper < cadmium < cobalt < iron < aluminium < nickel < titanium < zirconium < boron < silver < manganese < lead < lithium < silicon. Another way plants are used to treat heavy metal contamination is called rhizofiltration and in heavy metals is removed directly from water by plant roots. The plants are grown directly in water or in water rich materials such as sand, using aquatic species or hydroponic methods. Moreover, the substances that can be pollutants when discharged to a body of water can be beneficially reused for irrigation and water may contain higher levels of nutrients, such as nitrogen, than potable water. Various treatment technologies employed for the removal of heavy metals include chemical precipitation, ion exchange, chemical oxidation, reduction, reverse osmosis, ultrafiltration, electrodialysis and adsorption.
Heavy metal pollution in water can have a range of negative effects on water quality, including the contamination of drinking water, reduced water clarity, and the depletion of oxygen levels in the water. Heavy metals are also toxic to aquatic life, and can accumulate in their tissues. Heavy metal pollution in water can be prevented by controlling point sources of pollution, such as factories and wastewater discharge, and by improving wastewater treatment plants. Additionally, reducing soil erosion and runoff can help to reduce the amount of heavy metals that enter water sources. Heavy metal poisoning can be prevented by limiting exposure to sources of heavy metals and avoiding activities that could lead to ingestion of heavy metals. People should also avoid eating food or drinking water with high levels of heavy metals, and should have their water tested regularly.
On the other hand, water bodies already contaminated with particulate organic matter in a reducted water column tend to retain heavy metals in the particulate form, deposited on the floor. So, in this case, the soluble phase of heavy Metals tend to be the smallest phase, turning heavy metals not bioavailable. That's the case of Guanabara bay - Brazil. Depending on the physico chemical characteristics of the water column, heavy metals can be released to the water column, or not.
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