Baby Tabassum1,2*- 1Department of Zoology, Toxicology Lab, Govt. Raza P.G. College, Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, India
- 2Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Rohilkhand University, Bareilly, India
Editorial on the Research Topic
E-waste and heavy metals: health hazards and environmental impact
As the topic editor for “E-Waste and Heavy Metals: Health Hazards and Environmental Impact,” I am honored to present a Research Topic that addresses the urgent global challenge of e-waste management and the health risks posed by heavy metals. In an era of rapid technological growth, e-waste has become a critical environmental concern, threatening both ecosystems and human health due to hazardous metals like lead, mercury, cadmium, and nickel.
This Research Topic integrates diverse studies that analyse the health consequences of heavy metals from a variety of perspectives. A cross-sectional study on the association between anxiety and blood cadmium, lead, and mercury is a notable manuscript that provides valuable perspectives into the neurotoxic effects of heavy metal exposure. Investigations on systemic inflammation due to combined heavy metals and the risk of metabolic disorders like metabolic syndrome and fatty liver disease are equally significant.
Moreover, pioneering investigations into remediation techniques, including the phytoremediation capabilities of earthworms in cadmium-polluted soil and revelations regarding mercury toxicity from conventional Ayurvedic methods, present promising avenues for alleviating the environmental and health consequences of heavy metal exposure. These studies, despite their diverse focus, converge on a singular theme: the pressing necessity for global consciousness and intervention to address waste management and mitigate heavy metal pollution.
Key insights and strategies:
• Health implications: the accepted studies demonstrate alarming associations between heavy metal exposure and a variety of health issues, emphasizing the necessity of immediate action.
• Sustainable practices: advocating for eco-friendly design and accountable recycling initiatives is crucial to alleviate the effects of e-waste on health and the environment.
• Collaborative endeavors: involving stakeholders—from producers to consumers—is essential for formulating efficient e-waste management strategies.
I express my profound gratitude to all authors and reviewers for their significant contributions to this Research Topic. The findings presented here not only deepen our scientific understanding but also emphasize the need for sustainable solutions in the management of e-waste and heavy metals to safeguard both public health and the environment.
I hope this Research Topic will serve as a significant step toward raising awareness, advancing research, and informing policies that can help mitigate the risks posed by these environmental hazards.
Author contributions
BT: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing.
Conflict of interest
The author declares that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Keywords: e-waste, heavy metal, environmental distribution, exposure, human health and disease
Citation: Tabassum B (2024) Editorial: E-waste and heavy metals: health hazards and environmental impact. Front. Public Health 12:1506438. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1506438
Received: 05 October 2024; Accepted: 01 November 2024;
Published: 15 November 2024.
Edited and reviewed by: Yang Gao, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), China
Copyright © 2024 Tabassum. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Baby Tabassum, dr.btabassum@gmail.com