Redox Stress Burden of Trace Metals on Environmentally Dependent Ecosystem

Abstract

Contamination of the environment by trace metals (TMs) has become a global health challenge. Some of these metals are found in some food substances in minute quantities as a normal part of nutrition. Excessive exposure of living organisms to these metals poses’ a great risk to the health of the living organisms. Once in the environment, these metals are not biodegradable and last for a long time. Their contamination of the environment leads to contamination of the ecosystem, which intricately depends on the environment. Normal physiological processes of the living organisms in these ecosystems are distorted following the dysregulation of their redox system. An imbalance in the ecosystem’s redox state led to damage to living organisms. There is an increase in mortality and morbidity, diversification is compromised, the genetic makeup of organisms is altered and over time the whole ecosystem becomes compromised. Several bioremediation techniques have been of valuable assistance in reverting this ugly trend. How well these remediation works could revert the damage and restore the ecosystems will be a measure of their survival, including all the dependent organisms and man.