Health and environmental hazards of radioactive pollutant (uranium) and its bioremediation strategies

With increasing globalization and industrialization, man has been trying to utilize nature and its resources for its benefit. This has led to an indiscriminate use of natural resources and some regions of the world are highly contaminated with uranium (U). Although various studies have been carried out all over the world concerning air, water, and soil pollution; pollution due to radioactive elements such as U, Thorium (Th), etc. has been receiving greater attention in the past few decades. Due to the ubiquitous presence of U, it occurs in trace amounts in various foods and in drinking water, which significantly increases human health risks. Moreover, an increase in the concentration of U from its normal concentration is hazardous due to its radioactive nature, consequently, its excessive presence is a significant potential risk to the environment and the environment's health. In contrast, to physical and chemical methods for U remediation, microbial and Due to its ease of use, low cost, and environmentally friendly nature, phytoremediation techniques are widely used. Therefore, it is crucial to comprehend how plants and microorganisms are exploited and used in soil U remediation. The toxic and detoxification processes of U in plants and microbes will be thoroughly investigated. Moreover, in this chapter, the mechanisms and applicability of microbial bioremediation and phytoremediation in U-contaminated soils will be summarized. This chapter will aid in a better understanding of how U behaves in soil-plant systems and the possible concerns it poses to human health.