Rajalekshmi Amma, P; Dr.Mohandas, A(Cochin University of Science And Technology, 1992)
[+]
[-]
Abstract:
Industrialisation affects air, water, and soil. Industrial
effluents which enter the aquatic environment either by direct
disposal or through run off, affect living organisms at
morphological and physiological levels. In any living tissue
toxic materials exert their effects first at molecular and
biochemical levels (Robbins and Angell, 1976). Most of the
industrial effluents contain elevated concentrations of organic
and inorganic chemicals capable of eliciting stimulatory or
inhibitory effects on the metabolism of aquatic organisms.
Heavy metals form an important group of environmental
pollutants. Effects of pollution on the aquatic environment by
heavy metals have received considerable attention in recent years
due to their toxicity even at very low levels, persistence in the
environment, and chances of getting biomagnified. A pollutant
that does not affect a particular process under normal unstressed
condition may affect the ability of the animal to adjust to
changing environmental conditions which ultimately decrease its
chances of survival (Thurberg et al., 1973
Description:
School of Environmental Studies, Cochin University of Science And Technology