Chapter 11

Lead Induced Toxicity,

Detoxification and

Bioremediation

Shalini Dhiman,¹ Arun Dev Singh,¹ Isha Madaan,^2,7

Raman Tikoria,³ Driti Kapoor,⁴ Priyanka Sharma,⁵

Nitika Kapoor,⁶ Geetika Sirhindi,² Puja Ohri³ and

Renu Bhardwaj^1,*

11.1 Introduction

Lead is a hazardous element that comes from various technogenic sources like ammunition, batteries-

based industries, bangle manufacturing, building material, ceramic ware, cosmetics, gasoline,

glassware, plastic pipes, paints with Pb pigments, petrochemicals, radiation protection, leaded fuels,

bullets, fishing sinkers, mining, smelting, electroplating of the metallic ores (Dotaniya et al. 2020).

All the possible routes of Pb exposure beyond its permissible limits lead to Pb toxicity in soil,

water, air, humans, animals as well as in plant systems. Pb inside soil disrupts soil properties and

soil ecosystem mainly by reducing nutrients availability to plants, which in turn effects soil-forming

processes, microbiota, soil health, crop quality and productivity. However, Pb uptake beyond

permissible limits inside plant systems causes many abnormal morphological and physiological

symptoms like disturbance in photosynthesis, water potential, nutrient uptake, respiration and causes

nuclear damage. Moreover, plants also show tolerance and detoxification mechanism against heavy

metal stress such as compartmentalization, metallothionine, phytochelatins, Pb-immobilization by

plants roots exudates, organic acid, etc. (Mitra et al. 2020).

1 Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjab, India, 143005.

2 Department of Botany, Punjabi University, Patiala, India, 147002.

3 Department of Zoology, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, India, 143005.

4 Department of Botany, School of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, India,

144402.

5 School of Bioengineering Sciences & Research, MIT-ADT Loni Kalbhor, Pune, Maharashtra, India, 412201.

6 PG Department of Botany, Hans Raj Mahila Maha Vidyalaya, Jalandhar, Punjab, India, 144623.

7 Government College of Education, Jalandhar, Punjab, India, 144001.

* Corresponding author: renubhardwaj82@gmail.com