ABSTRACT
Heavy metal is a naturally occurring earth crust element that exists in nature and is well known for its polluting and carcinogenic effect in water bodies and soil. Limitless anthropogenic activities, industrial runoff, municipality discharge, untreated effluent of chemical and automobile industries, and 26overutilization of inorganic fertilizers in agricultural land have made alarming heavy metal toxicity in the aquatic environment. Through a cyclic process, heavy metal transfers from originating source to aquatic animal and then to the human being through the food web. Being the highest trophic level, fish accumulates the highest concentration of toxic constituents in their body, which eventually comes to a human being after bioaccumulation and bioconcentration. Among all the alarming heavy metals, Pb, Hg, Cd are those three elements that are considered as the most potent hazardous elements by Environment Protection Agency (EPA). Other trace elements, i.e., Zn, Cr, Ni, Al, are important micronutrients for our body, but they turn to be carcinogenic at a higher dose. Heavy metal pollution is a global problem that has reached its maximum level now. This is the high time to combat heavy metal pollution to keep the aquatic environment safe and protect living beings.
