Table 2.

Main effects of heavy metal on human health and plant physiology [9,[27], [28], [29], [30], [31], [32]].

Heavy Metals	Main Effects
	Potential repercussion on human health	Potential plant physiological responses
Arsenic	Bronchitis, Skin and bladder cancer, Kidney failure, haemolysis, bone marrow depression	Growth inhibition, Loss of yield and fruit production, Food chain poisoning
Cadmium	Renal dysfunction, lung disease, lung cancer	Decreases seed germination and lipid content
Lead	Mental retardation in children, developmental delay	Reduces chlorophyll production and plant growth
Manganese	Damage of central nervous system	–
Mercury	Impaired neurodevelopment, decrease in memory	Decreases photosynthetic activity, water uptake and antioxidant
Nickel	Allergic contact dermatitis, chronic bronchitis, Lung and nasal cancer	Decreases seed germination, protein and enzyme production
Zinc	Damage to nervous membrane	Reduces Ni toxicity, promotes plant growth
Chromium	Liver/kidney necrosis, skin ulcers	Decreases plant growth through membrane damage, chlorosis and root damage
Copper	Anemia, liver and kidney damage	Inhibits photosynthesis and reproductive process