This book offers a comprehensive collection of review and case chapters that cover cadmium toxicity and remediation. It covers sources of cadmium contamination, its impact on human health, and prospective remediation strategies, taking a multi-disciplinary approach a focus on application of recent advanced biological technology. The chapters here bring together a diverse group of environmental science, sustainability and health researchers to address the challenges caused by cadmium contamination, explaining the routes of exposure to environmental cadmium, how cadmium is transported in ecosystems, and the health risks linked to cadmium exposure in food and the environment.

This edited book brings together a diverse group of environmental science, sustainability, and health researchers to address the challenges posed by global mass poisoning caused by heavy metals contamination of soil and plants. In recent years, contamination of the environment by heavy metals has become a major concern. Their multiple industrial, domestic, agricultural, medical, and technological applications have led to their wide distribution in the environment, raising concerns over their potential effects on human health and the environment. Owing to their toxic, non-degradable, and bio-accumulative nature, the health burden on the population has increased significantly. Heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium, and uranium do not play a significant role in metabolism in the human body and are thus toxic. Their exposure in high concentration can cause acute toxicity resulting in acute health conditions, which is easy to observe and regulate, while similar is not visible for immediate action when their exposure is in trace amounts over the years. Heavy metals enter in the food chain through consumption of plant material. A high concentration of heavy metals has been found to be harmful to vegetation. As the heavy metals concentration in plants increases, it adversely affects several biological parameters and eventually renders the soil barren.

In many parts of the world, soil and water are slightly to moderately contaminated with metals and metalloids such as Cd, Cu, Zn, Ni, Co, Cr, Pb, Si, B and As. This could be due to long-term use of phosphatic fertilizers, sewage sludge application, dust from smelters, industrial waste and bad watering practices in agricultural lands. Beside natural factors, human activities have contributed to the enormous increase in heavy metal and/or metalloid pollution in the environment. Metal and metalloid stress are major abiotic stress factors that limit crop production and reduce agricultural yield. The primary response of plants is the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) upon exposure to high levels of metals/metalloids. They either generate ROS directly through Haber-Weiss reactions or overproduction of ROS and occurrence of oxidative stress in plants could be the indirect consequence of metals/metalloids toxicity. The indirect mechanisms include their interaction with the antioxidant system, disrupting the electron transport chain or disturbing the metabolism of essential elements. One of the most deleterious effects induced by heavy metals exposure in plants is lipid peroxidation, which can directly cause biomembrane deterioration.

This volume covers all the important nanotechnological aspects of various metallic nanoparticles, including their growth and characterization, facile synthesis and fabrication, development, and potential applications for industrial, environmental, and healthcare purposes.

This book presents up-to-date information on soilless culture types, how to manage plant nutrition, fertilizer use, organic cultivation, plant diseases and plant protection in soilless agriculture, the use of smart agricultural tools, the evaluation of carbon and water footprint, and the economic aspects of soilless agriculture.

This book examines the interactions of nanomaterials with the biological system. The chapters of the book explore the natural and synthetic biomaterials that modulate immune responses for their applications in drug delivery and tissue engineering. Further, the book discusses the implications of the physiochemical properties of nanoparticles and their microenvironment on their interactions with biological systems. The chapters also present the recognitive capabilities of biomaterials for the development of novel strategies for the detection and treatment of autoimmune disorders. The book also introduces nanotechnology platforms for drug delivery and highlights current and emerging nanotechnologies that could enable novel classes of therapeutics. Towards the end, the book reviews the efficiency of drug-loaded nanoparticles in modulating the functioning of the biological milieu for improved disease treatment. Lastly, the book outlines the ethical issues regarding the use of nanoparticles for in vitro and in vivo applications. Given its scope, it is a valuable resource for graduate students and researchers interested in understanding the biomedical applications of nanoparticles and their interactions with the biological milieu.

This book discusses advanced drug delivery systems, including oraganogels, transdermal delivery systems for chronic and acute pain, ocular systems, nanosponges for cancer targeting, and much more.

The book provides for the first time an overview of the latest scientific studies conducted on micro and nano plastic pollution in the Mediterranean Sea both from the biological and environmental point of view as well as from the chemical point of view in order to have a more real idea of ​​the current situation.

This book covers the recent trends on the biological applications of nanomaterials, methods for their preparation, and techniques for their characterization. Further, the book examines the fundamentals of nanotoxicity, methods to assess the toxicity of engineered nanomaterials, approaches to reduce toxicity during synthesis. It also provides an overview of the state of the art in the application of Artificial intelligence-based methodologies for evaluation of toxicity of drugs and nanoparticles.

Volume Two advances the exploration of the fundamental principles of oxidative stress and toxicity on male (and female) reproduction. It includes the advances in research on male reproductive health, the impact of environmental factors, the protective measures using bioactive compounds and traditional medicines, and how to limit toxic exposure.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of heavy metals, their impacts on water, soil, food crops, and cosmetics, and techniques for their remediation.

This volume is dedicated to water as the most important source of life.