Contamination of the earth's ecosystems by potentially toxie metalsl metalloids is a global problem. It will likely grow with our planet's increasing populations and their requirements for natural resources (e. g., water, food, energy, waste-disposal sites) and metals-based goods. The health impacts of pollution from the ingestion of heavy metals/metalloids via respiration, food, and drinking water are most often long-term and manifest themselves in many ways. These include, for example, disminution of mental acuity, loss of motor control, critieal organ dysfunction, cancer, chronie illnesses...

The book focuses on heavy metals that have damaged the ecosystem Earth and its life forms. It characterizes natural and anthropogenic sources of pollutants, identifies physical, chemical and biological conditions that affect their ecosystem mobility. The book describes the pathways by which potentially toxic metals can access and concentrate to toxic levels in organisms. The text reviews the different environmental assessment, monitoring samples and analytical techniques used to determine how sample types bond the metals and hence affect their bioavailibility and bioaccumulation....