ABSTRACT
The extensive use of chemicals in the form of pesticides and fertilizers in crop fields has caused environmental pollution as well as proving a big threat to human health worldwide. Food safety is another major issue plaguing round the globe. Various potent toxic chemicals may be organic or inorganic, are being released from different sources, including industries and other anthropogenic activities, and added into the environment. These compounds have excellent insulating properties, and are hard to degrade, therefore, have long half-life times in the ecosystem. In modern era, the use and distribution of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) as well as pesticides and plastics are ubiquitous. During early times, the use of PCBs from plastic was considered to be beneficial and lifeless, while as degradation of PCBs from plastics in the environment has generated different problems. Major issue created by the use of plastics is environmental pollution and has now become a main environmental trouble. PCBs are synthetic organic chemicals distributed broadly in the environmental spheres such as air, water, sediments, and soils in the whole world. PCBs cause various diseases, including cancer, immunological, development, reproductive, hepatic, nephropathy, and neurological defects. Cypermethrin (CY) is a pyrethroid, similar to the pyrethrins in pyrethrum extract (derived from the chrysanthemum plant). It is widely used in agriculture, household items and animal husbandry and for the treatment purposes such as crack, crevice to control insects. CY was demonstrated to be effective greater than pyrethrin. CY is a neurotoxic insect; it quickly acts on the central nervous system (CNS) of insects. Considering these toxic manifestations of PCB and CY, there is a need of time to find some remediation approaches to minimize the effects of these toxicants. Therefore, the present chapter is projected to summarize the various means and ways for the remediation of PCBs and CY.
