**6. Effects of heavy metals in human health**

A big source of exposure for the human population to heavy metals is food and drinking water. The intensification of HMs in industrial and agricultural activities has led to much industrialization, modern urbanization and rapid economic development around the world [63]. These activities can cause pollution of toxic HMs in water, air, and soils. Heavy metal-contaminated media contribute to the bioaccumulation of these elements from the environment in the human food chains, eventually reaching the human body. There are some health impacts of HMs on the human body depending on the amount and duration of exposure (**Figure 6**).

Among different HMs, Cd is considered as seventh most hazardous and noxious metal that causes an indirect oxidative stress and have carcinogenic and mutagenic effect resulting severe health problem in human body such as kidney damage, prostate dysfunction, bone diseases and cancer [64, 65]. It can also responsible for kidney dysfunction and proteinuria if Cd has prolonged exposure to kidneys.

Arsenic is also causes skin damage, cancer and marked problems with circulatory system [66]. When As cross its permissible limit in drinking water is also causes developmental abnormalities, neurobehavioral sicknesses, cardiovascular diseases and hearing sickness, together with anemia, leukopenia, eosinophilia and carcinoma [67, 68].

Chromium is known as highly toxic HM as it can cross the cell membrane via sulfate transport system and causes denaturation and mutation of nucleic acids and proteins. It also creates critical health issues like skin problems, nasal irritation, hear impairment and lung carcinoma [65, 69, 70].

Lead can also create different health problems like decrease in intelligent quotient, memory loss, infertility, mood swing, weakness of joints, nausea, insomnia, anorexia, or even death [65]. Young and infants are more sensitive to Pb poisoning than adults. Details about effects of different HMs on human health were described in **Table 1**.

**Figure 6.**

*Effects of heavy metals in different vital organs of human health.*



*Environmental Pollution with Heavy Metals: A Public Health Concern DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96805*


*Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Parts Per Million (ppm), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).*

#### **Table 1.**

*Toxic effects of heavy metals on human health.*
