Application of Nanotechnology in the Remediation of Heavy Metals and Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Soil Environment

The indiscriminate release of heavy metals and endocrine disrupting chemicals are continuously on the increase due to the rapid growth and urbanization of society. They accumulate in soils and pose threat to food security, human health, and the environment. The adverse effects of their indiscriminate discharge on environmental quality and public health require priority attention on a global scale. This review will provide insight into the concept of heavy metals and endocrine disrupting chemicals. It will also take a holistic overview on the use of nanotechnology, a current technology to remediate heavy metals and endocrine disrupting chemicals. The effects of remediating contaminated soil environments using nanotechnology on public health including effect on crops and soil enzymes were presented as well as current studies on Nano technological clean-up of the aforementioned environmental wastes. Finally, the paper presented the prospects of using nanomaterials research in the remediation of heavy metals and endocrine disrupting chemicals contaminated soils.