ABSTRACT
The continuously overgrowing global concern over soil pollution with anthropogenic chemicals is mainly related to health risk either from primary contamination (direct contact with contaminated soil or evolved vapor) or from secondary contamination (through water supplies or crops). Among the most feared soil contaminants, due to their major negative impact on human health, the environment, and agricultural policies are the organic POPs (persistent organic pollutants) and the inorganic HMs (heavy metals). In the scope of eliminating these threats, numerous methodologies have been developed, using classical activation (thermal, chemical, or photochemical) or exploring new territories such as biological, radiolytic, and mechanochemical approaches. Upon the numerous methods developed for soil clean up contaminated with either of these chemicals, one is apparently versatile enough to permit efcient treatment in both cases, POPs and HMs: the use of metallic nanoparticles.
