ABSTRACT

The increasing number of the toxic pollutants in the environment has become a major problem. Over the years, many laws have been enacted to protect the environment and human health. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the federal government regulatory agency charged with managing and enforcing environmental protection legislation issued by Congress. The EPA sets standards for permissible levels of pollutants and continuously updates them. Metals are powerful pollutants, and they are perhaps the most common metabolic poisons. Teratogenic and carcinogenic effects of some metals are also well known. (Metals with teratogenic and carcinogenic effects are listed in Tables 3.2 and 3.3, respectively). Therefore, metals are important components of regulatory standards related to diverse different environmental matrices.