“Dwarf Santan (Ixora Coccinea) as a Phytoremediation Agent in Lead (Ii) Contaminated Soil”

The lead in the environment is formed naturally in the earth’s crust mainly as Lead Sulphide. The main exposure channels of lead entering the environment through atmospheric lead is predominantly from automobile emissions. Other lead exposure routes include lead-acid batteries, paint chips, fertilizers, utilized ammunition, pesticides, and other industrial byproducts. The means of conveying lead from key emission sources is mainly through the air. Concerning the sources of lead in drinking water, normally lead reaches into the residents’ water after it is channeled from their water treatment plant or the wells. To be more precise, the source of lead in people’s water supply largely emanates from their households’ pipes or lead solder from plumbing. The most typical cause of the lead formation is from the corrosion reaction by the lead pipes or solders and the water. The acidity as a result of the low pH, dissolved oxygen, and little mineral contents in the water are main reasons of the corrosion. The lead amounts in the water become high if the water spends a long duration of time stagnated inside the old pipes.

Recent surveys by the U.S. fish and wildlife service have shown that over 40 million fishing and hunting licenses were sold in 2014. Fishing and hunting products such as lead bullets, lead fishing weights, and lead hooks have been released into the environment for many years now. After talking to my dad about a recent story of California condors being lead poisoned and killed after ingesting lead from dead animals, it made me think of how much lead is truly in the environment which sparked my curiosity. According to my estimation, I contribute around 175 ounces of lead into the environment. This is due to the hundreds of shotgun shells I shoot every year for hunting and target practice and the numerous ounces of lead lost while fishing due

Reducing exposure to lead involves the clean up, removal, or covering of known lead contaminated soils. The use of raise beds and mulch can limit inhalation risk when working in an urban garden (Clark and Knudsen, 2014). To avoid swallowing lead contaminated soils, urban gardens should avoid root vegetables and dark, leafy greens, which can be harder than other crops to thoroughly clean (Clark and Knudsen, 2014). A traditionally used technique for the removal of contaminants is expensive process called “dig and dump” - also called extraction or isolation and containment - which is usually paid for by the point source pollutor (Laidlaw et al., 2017; Wuana and Okieimen, 2011; Mulligan, Yong, and Gibbs, 2001). As the name suggests, this

Reinhold, D., Vishwanathan, S., Park, JJ., Oh, D., Saunders, FM. 2010. Assessment of plant-driven removal of emerging organic pollutants by duckweed. Chemosphere [Internet]. [Cited 2015 Nov 15] 80(7) Available from: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0045653510006363

In humans and animals, exposure to lead (Pb) can cause neurological, renal, reproductive, developmental, immune and cardiovascular health effects (United States Food and Drug Administration, 2015). The primary human exposure to Pb is via the food chain (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 2007) especially since the excessive bioaccumulation of Pb is often found in edible portions of crops such as leafy and root vegetables from Pb-contaminated soils (Finster et al., 2004; McBride, 2013; McGrath and Zhao, 2015; McLaughlin et al., 2011). In Hezhang county, Guizhou province of southwestern China, Earlier investigations indicated foods of maize and vegetables were commonly grown in Pb-polluted soils (up to 6153 mg Pb kg-1) due to

As stated above children can get lead poisoning from lead dust and drinking water that contains traces of lead. They also can get it by ingesting anything that has lead in it. Such as eating paint chips, infants biting on lead based walls, and being around toxic lead based gasoline

In 2000, WHO assessed the global burden of disease due to a number of risk factors associated with lead. (3)

Some lead particles move from soil into ground water and this depending on the characteristics of the soil and the type of lead compound.

Lead is a naturally occurring metal found deep in the ground which occurs in small amounts in ore, along with other elements such as silver and zinc. Due to its easiness to extract and work with, it is therefore is commonly found in products such as Paint, Ceramics, Pipes, Batteries and Cosmetics.

There are more than 4 million houses that have children that are being exposed to high levels of lead. Amongst these the number of children between ages 1-5 have blood lead levels > 5 micrograms per deciliter and are around half a million. It has been found out there no blood lead level that is safe in children and can be harmful to the body. This poisoning is a very serious problem but it is still curable. Children can suffer from neurological damage because of which they can have low IQ level and behavioral problems. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had recommended for public health actions to be taken on this matter.4

The lead was one of the first metals detected and used by humans. They figured out how to take advantage of it, by low melting points, which gave them the ability to form stable compounds that made it useful in the manufacture of hundreds of products. This commercial attractiveness has resulted in the processing of millions of tons of lead ore, leading to widespread dissemination of lead in the human environment. Despite its usefulness, the risks are more and worse than its benefits.

The effects of lead in the human population have been an issue since the early civilizations because lead was found in almost every item used for eating and cooking. In the 1950’s, houses were built and the first choice for plumbing pipes was made of lead. The paint used to cover the interiors was lead based. Children’s toys were also coated with lead based paint. Nowadays, lead can still be found in some glassware; however, the government has banned the use of lead in the rest. Lead can be introduced into the body through inhalation or skin contact. However, ingestion of lead is the most common way of it being transported into the body. There are a few symptoms that are caused by lead poisoning in the gastrointestinal tract: stomach pain, weight loss, decreased appetite, constipation, diarrhea, unusual taste in the mouth, and a blue line around the gum line. The two problems that occur with these symptoms are that they can be misconstrued as symptoms for other diseases, such as appendicitis. These symptoms occur only when lead is at high concentration in the body. Being the foremost pathway for intake, absorption in very dependent on the gastrointestinal lumen environment, amount of iron in storage, and age (Rabinowitz, 1980). These variables can either increase or decrease the absorption of lead.

Lead exposure less than one hundred years ago had several exposure-sources to humans through many daily appliances, tools, homes, and substances. Gasoline, paint, water, and pottery were main environmental exposures of lead before the late 1970’s when the U.S. banned the use of lead in most of these sources. A number of developing countries still permit the use of lead on house appliances and pottery. Lead is associated in causing central nervous system effects, as well as other debilitating effects even when consumed with low levels. One of the most common environmental pediatric health problems in the U.S. is lead poisoning. In the 1980’s, approximately 4 million children exposed to lead had blood lead levels high enough to cause adverse

Lead is usually found in the form of minerals where it combines with other elements such as sulphur (PbS), (PbSO4) and oxygen (PbCO3) (Wuana & Okieimen, 2011). The major sources of lead are from coal burning, pesticides, and waste incineration. Lead accumulation in the body may affect the gastrointestinal tract, central nervous system, kidneys, and even death (Marfo, 2014). Lead also causes impaired development and mental retardation in children. Lead poisoning frequently affects children between one and three years old in the United States and rarely affects adults. According to NORD (2006), statistics showed that in the last 20 years, the number of children with harmful blood lead levels in the United States has fallen 85%. The permissible

Lead poisoning results from the accumulation of lead in the blood and body tissues of those individuals that are often exposed to lead. As one of the most common and best-recognized childhood diseases of toxic environmental origin, children around the world today are at risk of exposure to lead from numerous sources. Lead poisoning accounts for about 0.6% of the global burden of disease (WHO, 2009). Lead poisoning is most prevalent in kids between the ages of 1 and 2 years. Its adverse effects are furthermore the utmost devastating among this age group. Lead is excavated and extracted for countless industrial and domestic uses, henceforth the easy ability of