Pulse Brain · Growing Health Evidence Index
Tier 4 — Narrative / commentaryPeer-reviewed

Metal contamination - a global environmental issue: sources, implications & advances in mitigation.

Ondrasek G, Shepherd J, Rathod S, Dharavath R, Rashid MI, Brtnicky M, Shahid MS, Horvatinec J, Rengel Z.

RSC Adv · 2025

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Summary

This review, authored by an international team spanning Europe, Asia, and Australia, provides a comprehensive synthesis of metal contamination as a global environmental concern, covering the principal sources (including industrial discharge, agrochemical inputs, and mining), ecological and human health implications, and current advances in mitigation. The paper likely draws on a broad body of literature to evaluate both established and emerging remediation approaches such as phytoremediation, biochar amendment, and chemical stabilisation. Given the multi-institutional and multi-national authorship, the review is expected to offer a globally relevant perspective while acknowledging regional variation in contamination profiles and regulatory contexts.

UK applicability

Although the review is global in scope, its findings are applicable to UK conditions, particularly in the context of legacy contamination from historic industrial and mining activity, use of sewage sludge biosolids in agriculture, and UK soil quality policy under post-Brexit regulatory frameworks such as the Environment Act 2021.

Key measures

Metal concentration thresholds in soil and water; contamination sources (industrial, agricultural, mining); health risk indices; remediation efficacy metrics

Outcomes reported

The review examines the sources of metal contamination in soils and water, their implications for ecosystems and human health, and advances in remediation and mitigation technologies. It likely synthesises evidence on both geogenic and anthropogenic metal inputs and evaluates emerging strategies to reduce contamination burdens.

Theme
Farming systems, soils & land use
Subject
Soil contamination & environmental pollution
Study type
Narrative Review
Study design
Narrative review
Source type
Peer-reviewed study
Status
Published
Geography
Global
System type
Arable and mixed agricultural systems
DOI
10.1039/d4ra04639k
Catalogue ID
NRmo3f02hq-09o

Topic tags

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