Lead pollution: Impact on environment and human health and approach for a sustainable solution

Normally the word pollution states the expulsion of many elements, components, and waste products with a lot of harmful constituents into the natural surroundings in large quantities that interrupts or ruins its aptitude to support the ecosystem. Nowadays the most reported and notable pollutants are toxic metals (lead, cadmium, mercury) which are the waste products released by various industries and spent batteries. This metal can be found naturally on the outermost layer of the earth, soils, and water but in low amounts. This metal causes pollution of soil, water, and air on a global scale. Recently, it is expected that the global production of lead has increased due to the high manufacturing of automobiles, and mobile phone batteries. An additional remarkable impact of lead pollution was reported in hunting birds. To minimize these metal-related health risks to humans and harm to the environment; various routes have been available for reducing heavy metals production. Eco-technological discoveries such as tools and medications which help to clean lead from the body are known as chelation therapy. There is also limited remediation for the pollution in agricultural fields and soil such as biological remediation which is a cost-friendly and greener approach for reducing the metal in intoxicated soils. In this review, we focus on the adverse effect of lead (Pb) pollution on natural ecosystems and the distressing effect on all living beings, a detailed discussion has also been included on the methodology for the sustainable solution of lead-associated waste pollution. •Lead is one of the toxic heavy metal and poisonous environmental pollutant.•Exposure to Pb affects the ecosystem and human health in a contagious way.•Remediation through biological, physical and chemical methodologies.•Bioremediation is most effective and commercial biological method.