Beryllium contamination and its risk management in terrestrial and aquatic environmental settings

Shiv Bolan; Hasintha Wijesekara; Mohsin Tanveer; Vanessa Boschi; Lokesh P Padhye; Madhuni Wijesooriya; Lei Wang; Tahereh Jasemizad; Chensi Wang; Tao Zhang; Jörg Rinklebe; Hailong Wang; Su Shiung Lam; Kadambot H M Siddique; M B Kirkham; Nanthi Bolan

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121077

Beryllium contamination and its risk management in terrestrial and aquatic environmental settings

Environ Pollut. 2023 Mar 1:320:121077. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121077. Epub 2023 Jan 13.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6001, Australia; The UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6001, Australia.
² Department of Natural Resources, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Sabaragamuwa University, Belihuloya, 70140, Sri Lanka.
³ Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, University of Tasmania Australia, Hobart, 7005, Australia.
⁴ Chemistry Department, Villanova University, 800 Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, PA, 19085, USA.
⁵ Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Auckland, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand.
⁶ Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of Ruhuna, Matara, 81000, Sri Lanka.
⁷ Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Science, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China.
⁸ Beijing Key Laboratory of Farmland Soil Pollution Prevention and Remediation, Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions of Ministry of Education, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China.
⁹ University of Wuppertal, School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Institute of Foundation Engineering, Water- and Waste-Management, Laboratory of Soil- and Groundwater-Management, Pauluskirchstraße 7, 42285, Wuppertal, Germany.
¹⁰ Biochar Engineering Technology Research Center of Guangdong Province, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan, Guangdong, 528000, China; Key Laboratory of Soil Contamination Bioremediation of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311300, China.
¹¹ Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE), Institute of Tropical Aquaculture and Fisheries (AKUATROP), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia; Center for Transdisciplinary Research, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University , Chennai , India.
¹² Department of Agronomy, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA.
¹³ School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6001, Australia; The UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6001, Australia. Electronic address: Nanthi.Bolan@UWA.edu.au.

PMID: 36646409
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121077

Abstract

Beryllium (Be) is a relatively rare element and occurs naturally in the Earth's crust, in coal, and in various minerals. Beryllium is used as an alloy with other metals in aerospace, electronics and mechanical industries. The major emission sources to the atmosphere are the combustion of coal and fossil fuels and the incineration of municipal solid waste. In soils and natural waters, the majority of Be is sorbed to soil particles and sediments. The majority of contamination occurs through atmospheric deposition of Be on aboveground plant parts. Beryllium and its compounds are toxic to humans and are grouped as carcinogens. The general public is exposed to Be through inhalation of air and the consumption of Be-contaminated food and drinking water. Immobilization of Be in soil and groundwater using organic and inorganic amendments reduces the bioavailability and mobility of Be, thereby limiting the transfer into the food chain. Mobilization of Be in soil using chelating agents facilitates their removal through soil washing and plant uptake. This review provides an overview of the current understanding of the sources, geochemistry, health hazards, remediation practices, and current regulatory mandates of Be contamination in complex environmental settings, including soil and aquatic ecosystems.

Keywords: Animal toxicity; Human toxicity; Mining; Plant toxicity; Remediation.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Beryllium*
Coal
Ecosystem
Humans
Risk Management
Soil
Soil Pollutants* / analysis

Substances

Beryllium
Soil
Soil Pollutants
Coal