Arsenic Pollution: An Insight into its Effect in Plant Productivity and Human Health

Arsenic (As), a naturally occurring metalloid, has been a major concern to the environment due to its adverse effects on the plants and human. Arsenic uptake and accumulation in plants has not only impaired the plant processes leading to loss in growth and crop yield but also resulted in toxicity in human due to biomagnification. With decades of research on the effects of arsenic accumulation on plant growth and development and its consequences in human health, we briefly discuss the effects of As on plants and humans. In the first part of the review the principles of uptake of As by plant from soil are discussed. In the second part, the primary mechanism through which the As accumulation affect plant productivity are discussed. The last part describes the effect As has on different human organs. Our mini-review serves to guide the ongoing and future research on the effects As contamination.