Environmental and Health Risks of Heavy Metals: Ecuadorian Perspectives

Heavy metal pollution represents a persistent threat to human health and ecosystems, especially in countries with high extractive pressure such as Ecuador. This chapter offers a comprehensive review of emission sources, the toxic effects of elements such as cadmium, lead, arsenic, mercury, and chromium, and the national and international regulatory frameworks that seek to control their impact. Despite conventions such as the Minamata and Basel Conventions, critical gaps in implementation persist, especially in vulnerable territories affected by legal, artisanal, and illegal mining. Local studies are presented that show elevated levels of heavy metals in water, soil, food, and human samples, with direct consequences for Indigenous, rural, urban, and cocoa-producing communities. Given this scenario, a multisectoral strategy based on participatory monitoring, environmental health surveillance, clean technologies, and environmental justice is proposed. The chapter also details the use of analytical techniques for the detection of metal traces, highlighting atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) as a key tool in environmental and biomedical analysis. The procedure applied at the CILABSalud (Andean University, Simón Bolívar, Quito, Ecuador) is described, including sample processing, calibration standard preparation, and instrumental analysis using the PerkinElmer PinAAcle 900 T model. Overall, this contribution seeks to strengthen the country’s technical and regulatory capacity, promoting more equitable environmental management based on scientific evidence and community participation.