Trace Elements and Heavy Metals: Bridging Sustainability and Global Health Goals

Dr. Mohammad Aneesul Mehmood is an Assistant Professor at Government Degree College Pulwama, Jammu & Kashmir, India, with over a decade of teaching and research experience in environmental pollution, freshwater ecology, toxic metals, and sustainable remediation. He is a First Rank holder in M.Sc. (Environmental Science) from Bangalore University and a recipient of prestigious honors including the Dr. Mumtaz Ahmad Khan Gold Medal, Sri Bhushan Memorial Gold Medal, INSPIRE Fellowship (JRF & SRF), and a Young Scientist Award. He holds a Ph.D. from SKUAST-K with a distinguished academic record. He has authored over 35 research papers and contributed to 20 internationally published books with publishers such as Springer Nature, Elsevier, CRC Press, Wiley and IGI Global. He also serves as a reviewer, editorial board member, and research supervisor.Dr. Gowhar Hamid Dar is Senior Assistant Professor and Head, Department of Environmental Science at Government Degree College Kulgam. He has played a key role in improving NAAC accreditation grades at multiple institutions. He has extensive teaching experience in postgraduate and undergraduate environmental science programs. His research areas include Environmental Microbiology, Fish Pathology, Industrial Microbiology, and Limnology. He has over 80 research publications (h-index: 19; citations >1400) and has authored/edited more than 25 books with leading publishers including Springer, Elsevier, and CRC Press. He has supervised several Ph.D. and Master’s students and has been involved in funded research projects by JKST&IC and SERB-DST. He is also a member of academic bodies such as BOS and BORS, Cluster University Srinagar.Dr. Rouf Ahmad Bhat holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences from SKUAST-K and is currently serving in the Department of School Education, Government of Jammu & Kashmir. He has over 9 years of teaching experience and has authored more than 55 research articles (h-index 34; citations >5700), along with 50 book chapters and over 50 books with international publishers. He has also worked as an environmental expert in World Bank-funded Flood Recovery Projects and contributed to ADB-supported development initiatives.

• 1 Introduction to Trace Elements and Heavy Metals.- 2 Understanding the Basics: Definitions, Sources and Classifications.- 3 Natural and Anthropogenic Sources of Heavy Metals and Trace Elements.- 4 Trace Elements in Nutrition: Essential vs. Toxic.- 5 Heavy Metals and Trace Elements in the Anthropocene: Challenges and Opportunities at the Nexus of Sustainability and Global Health.- 6 Heavy Metals and Trace Elements in The Context of The SDGs.- 7 Community Engagement and Public Awareness.- 8 Climate Induced Mobilization of Heavy Metals and Trace Elements in Fragile Ecosystems.- 9 Urban Airborne Metals: Sources And Health Equity Implications.- 10 Mercury Contamination in Artisanal Gold Mining: Policy Gaps.- 11 Trace Elements and Heavy Metals in Traditional and Alternative Medicine: Balancing Cultural Practices with Modern Toxicological Insights.- 12 Indigenous Knowledge in Contamination Assessment.- 13 Microbial Interactions with Trace Elements and Heavy Metals: Implications for Bioremediation.- 14 Analytical Techniques for Detection and Monitoring of Trace Elements and Heavy Metals in Food Systems.- 15 Toxicokinetic Profiling and Speciation Analysis of Antagonistic Trace Elements (Hg and Se): Environmental Sources, Distribution, and Analytical Techniques.- 16 Metal-Organic Frameworks: A Porous Architecture as Portable Sensors for Heavy Metal Ion Detection in Water.- 17 Biomonitoring 2.0: Wearable and AI-Enabled Devices for Real-Time Exposure Tracking.- 18 Industrial Applications and Circular Economy Approaches.- 19 AI-Driven Circular Economy: Optimizing Industrial Use and Recovery of Trace Elements and Heavy Metals.- 20 Converging Sustainability, AI, and Global Health: A Data-Driven Roadmap for Responsible Trace Element and Heavy Metal Management.- 21 Future Perspective - Innovation and Research Frontier.