Environmental Biomonitoring of Heavy and Toxic Metals Using Honeybees and Their Products—An Overview of Previous Research

Saša Zavrtnik (), Jelena Loborec, Sanja Kapelj and Ivana Grčić
Additional contact information
Saša Zavrtnik: Department of Water Management, University of Zagreb Faculty of Geotechnical Engineering, Hallerova aleja 7, 42000 Varaždin, Croatia
Jelena Loborec: Department of Water Management, University of Zagreb Faculty of Geotechnical Engineering, Hallerova aleja 7, 42000 Varaždin, Croatia
Sanja Kapelj: Department of Water Management, University of Zagreb Faculty of Geotechnical Engineering, Hallerova aleja 7, 42000 Varaždin, Croatia
Ivana Grčić: Department of Environmental Engineering, University of Zagreb Faculty of Geotechnical Engineering, Hallerova aleja 7, 42000 Varaždin, Croatia

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 19, 1-14

Abstract: Humans and bees share millennia of history that have resulted in ever-increasing connection and interdependence. Thus, today, it is impossible to ignore the influence of humans on bees, particularly regarding the decrease in their numbers due to environmental contamination. Although they do not cause immediate mortality, heavy and toxic metals, along with dangers such as bee diseases, pesticides, habitat destruction, and climate change, threaten the number of bees and should not be ignored. Honeybees, their colonies, and their products are recognized as accumulators of metals and biological indicators of the presence of these metals in all environmental components. This study is an overview of prominent research from the past three decades on heavy and toxic metal levels in honeybees ( Apis mellifera L.), honey, wax, and pollen. This research compares metals such as Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, and Zn in natural environments and in an environment where anthropogenic pressure manifests. The presented studies represent a range of research using analytical methods to determine the presence of heavy and toxic metals in different segments of bees and their products, linking these findings with the state of the environment. It has been repeatedly established that if heavy and toxic metals are present in higher concentrations in components of the environment that are under anthropogenic pressure, then their concentrations in bees, honey, and wax will also be higher. By summarizing this research in one place, this study can provide guidelines for future scientific work on this subject, promoting sustainable development through safe beekeeping and healthy bees.

Keywords: metal contamination; Apis mellifera L.; anthropogenic pressure; environment components; sustainable production of food; honey and wax (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/19/8526/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/19/8526/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:19:p:8526-:d:1489699

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().