Metal(loid) Source and Effects on Peri-Urban Agriculture/Aquaculture Sediments

Sediment plays a significant role as a source of metal(loids) in peri-urban agriculture, particularly in areas where agricultural land interfaces with urban and industrial activities. Metal(loids) are naturally occurring substances that include metals like lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury and other metals that, at high quantities, can be hazardous to both humans and the environment. These metals can come from several sources and end up in agricultural soils as a result of sediment deposition. Metal(loid) pollution is a serious threat to peri-urban agricultural systems because these pollutants are ubiquitous in nature. They have a tendency to bioaccumulate and biomagnify in food chain and cause severe health risk to living organisms. The sources of these metal(loid)s may be natural or anthropogenic. Natural sources may include atmospheric fallout, diffusion and surface runoff. Anthropogenic sources may include effluent discharge from various industries, medical wastes, domestic sewage disposal, traffic density, application of chemicals and fertilizers. These pollutants affect the physiological, gastrointestinal, reproductive, morphological and immunological system of living organisms. Hence, proper management is required in peri-urban system to overcome the effect of pollutants from its source of origination.