Heavy metals' effect on human health and phytoremediation approaches—A Comprehensive Review

Heavy metal contamination has emerged as a critical environmental and public health concern due to its persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity. Unlike organic pollutants, heavy metals cannot be degraded and therefore accumulate in various environmental compartments such as soil, water, and air, ultimately entering the food chain. Conventional remediation strategies, including physical and chemical methods, have been widely employed but face significant limitations in terms of cost-effectiveness, technical feasibility, and secondary environmental impacts. In recent years, phytoremediation has emerged as a sustainable, eco-friendly alternative, exploiting the natural ability of certain plants to uptake, stabilize, or detoxify heavy metals from contaminated environments. Certain hyperaccumulator plants, such as Brassica juncea, Pteris vittata, and Thlaspi caerulescens, have shown a remarkable ability to uptake and stabilize metals, including Cd, Pb, As, and Zn. This comprehensive review provides an in-depth analysis of the sources, distribution, and health impacts of major heavy metals, while critically evaluating the mechanisms, advantages, and challenges of phytoremediation approaches. The findings underscore that phytoremediation offers a cost-effective, eco-friendly alternative to conventional remediation, with potential to mitigate human exposure risks and restore ecological balance.