Environmental health is a major concern around the world due to the exponential increase in pollutant discharges into the environment from industrial and agricultural activities. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are a broad category of natural or synthetic substances with properties that may cause endocrine disruption in an intact organism, its progeny, or (sub)populations. Everyday products such as plastics, personal care products, and cleaning agents, as well as pesticides, herbicides, and industrial chemicals, may contain EDCs. These chemicals can enter the environment through air and water pollution and can accumulate in the food chain, leading to widespread exposure in both humans and wildlife. EDCs can disturb the normal functioning of plants, humans, and animals. These compounds can enter in plant through roots and atmospheric air and hinder the activity of several enzymes and hormones. Several studies showed that EDCs have negatively affected the various physiological processes of plants such as photosynthesis, which are discussed in this chapter. To tackle the challenges posed by EDCs, numerous organizations and governments have urged for enhanced research, regulation, and public awareness of these chemicals. Certain countries have implemented legislation to limit the use of EDCs in specific products, and several manufacturers have voluntarily removed EDCs from their products. Nonetheless, further action is required to minimize exposure to EDCs and safeguard human and environmental health. In summary, EDCs are a complex and prevalent group of environmental pollutants that pose significant risks to human and wildlife health. Thus this chapter will focus on how EDCs exposure induces alteration in the plant's germination, growth, and physiological trait.

Soil fertility (SF) assessment is an important strategy for identifying agriculturally productive lands, particularly in areas that are vulnerable to climate change. This research focuses on detecting SF zones in Firozabad district, Uttar Pradesh, India, for agricultural purposes, so that they can be prioritized for future management using the fuzzy technique in the Arc GIS model-builder. The model computing technique was also deployed to determine the different fertility zones, considering 17 soil parameters. The derived fuzzy technique outperformed the traditional method of dividing the sampling sites into clusters to correlate soil fertility classes with the studied soil samples. The prioritization of the soil factors and a spatial analysis of the fertility areas were carried out using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and GIS tools, respectively. The AHP analysis outcome indicated that hydraulic properties had the highest weighted value, followed by physical and chemical properties, regarding their influence on SF. The spatial distribution map of physico-chemical properties also clearly depicts the standard classification. A fuzzy priority map was implemented based on all the classes parameters to identify the five fertility classes of the soil, namely very high (0.05%); high (16.59%); medium (60.94%); low (22.34%); and very low (0.07% of total area). This study will be of significant value to planners and policymakers in the future planning and development of activities and schemes that aim to solve similar problems across the country.

Potentially toxic metals (PTMs) contamination in the soil poses a serious danger to people’s health by direct or indirect exposure, and generally it occurs by consuming food grown in these soils. The present study assessed the pollution levels and risk to human health upon sustained exposure to PTM concentrations in the area’s centuries-old glass industry clusters of the city of Firozabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. Soil sampling (0–15 cm) was done in farmers’ fields within a 1 km radius of six industrial clusters. Various environmental (geo-accumulation index, contamination factor, pollution load index, enrichment factor, and ecological risk index) and health risk indices (hazard quotient, carcinogenic risk) were computed to assess the extent of damage caused to the environment and the threat to human health. Results show that the mean concentrations of Cu (33 mg kg−1), Zn (82.5 mg kg−1), and Cr (15.3 mg kg−1) were at safe levels, whereas the levels of Pb, Ni, and Cd exceeded their respective threshold limits. A majority of samples (88

Groundwater quality assessment is crucial for determining the suitability of water resources required for human consumption and agriculture. To investigate the quality of groundwater in Tundla block, Uttar Pradesh, India, 50 samples were harvested from boreholes and hydrochemistry analysis was carried out. Entropy water quality index (EWQI) and irrigation water quality index (IWQI) were computed employing different suitability pa-rameters to assess its suitability for drinking and irrigation purposes. Geochemical modelling using PHREEQC served to simulate the solubility equilibria of mineral combinations by determining the saturation index (SI). Based on EWQI values the groundwater samples fall under two classes, these being medium (70%) and poor (30%) quality. The USSL plot indicated high salinization of the groundwater sample. Piper plot reveals the presence of two hydrogeochemical facies, viz. mixed type (72% samples) and Cl--Na+ type (28% samples). Geochemical modelling based on thermodynamic laws confirms the presence of high-solubility evaporitic minerals such as anhydrite, fluorite, and gypsum, and more stable precipitated mineral types like calcite, aragonite, and dolomite. A fraction of samples showed over-saturation of some minerals, namely dolomite (38%), calcite (32%), and aragonite (20%). Around 28% of the samples exhibited a large amount of F- in groundwater at concentrations higher than BIS-prescribed safe limits (> 1.5 mg L-1). Conducting health risk assessment shows that children and infants in the region are at a non-cancer risk (HQ > 1) due to sustained F -intake through drinking water. The spatial distribution of EWQI revealed medium-quality groundwater for drinking purposes in the south-central sub-area of Tundla. With reference to irrigation, groundwater sources are of better quality in the south sub-area.