Heavy Metals and One Health: Current Status and Future Prospects

Water resources are being continuously contaminated by heavy metals. The levels of these metals are increasing exponentially due to various factors such as natural calamities, anthropogenic activities, rapid industrialization, overuse of pesticides, agricultural runoff, and overpopulation. Heavy metals are elements that have a high atomic weight and densities at least five times greater than that of water. Metals such as lead, cadmium, chromium, nickel, mercury, and arsenic are non-biodegradable and tend to accumulate in the bodies of humans and animals, posing health risks such as gastrointestinal and cardiovascular diseases, neurological disorders, cancer, and bone and skin diseases, even when present in trace amounts. When these heavy metals enter the food chain by accumulating in agricultural soil, they adversely affect human, animal, and environmental health, disrupting the balance required for One Health initiatives. Additionally, heavy metal concentrations in water vary widely depending on geographical location. Various national and international regulatory bodies, including the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), American Public Health Association (APHA), World Health Organization (WHO), Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), have established permissible limits for heavy metals in drinking water. Several studies have examined heavy metal contamination in water, assessing regional variations in concentration and evaluating their environmental, animal, and human health impacts. This study aims to review past research on groundwater, drinking water, and surface water in India and other countries, with an emphasis on the levels and types of heavy metals, contributing factors, health effects, current status, and future prospects.