Environmental pollution from heavy metals (HM) is one of the most common forms of human impacts on the planet. The phrase “heavy metals,” which entered the scientific lexicon in the late 1960s, is now taken as a synonym for “toxic” metals. Heavy metals (HM) include more than 40 chemical elements of the periodic table, including Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, Mo, Cd, Sn, Sb, Te, W, Hg, Tl, Pb, and Bi. These elements all have atomic weights over 50 amu and a density greater than 5 g/cm3. Major sources of heavy metal environmental pollution include mining operations for precious metals (gold, silver, platinum, palladium, rhodium) as well as copper, nickel, and zinc.
In the 20th century, most industrialized countries considered the Arctic as a barren wasteland suitable for mineral and extraction with little consideration for the environments. Whole regions were poisoned by heavy metals. The Arctic and its inhabitants (plants and animals) were treated as expendable. While some remediation of these problems has taken place, the legacy of poisoned Arctic lands and waters will remain for decades or centuries to come.