HAZARDOUS WASTE AND ITS IMPLICATIONS ON REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH: A REVIEW

Improper management of hazardous waste poses serious risks to public health and environmental integrity. This review discusses how exposure to toxic substances like zinc, lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic, and vanadium affects reproductive health. These harmful pollutants are known to interfere with sperm production, damage egg quality, and disrupt hormone balance, consequently affecting fertility in men and women. This review also highlights the prenatal exposure pathways for pregnant women living near waste sites, linking these exposures to increased risks of birth defects and developmental disorders. Besides, the dangers faced by waste management workers were also reviewed, exploring the ethical concerns regarding environmental injustice in the siting of toxic waste facilities near vulnerable populations. This review emphasizes the urgent need for integrated public health advocacy, occupational safety regulations, and environmental monitoring to mitigate these risks. Thus, protecting reproductive health from ecological pollutants is essential, and it requires a multidisciplinary approach, informed policy action, and sustained community engagement.