Vidhi Gautam, Sachin Kumar Jain*, Arpita Shrivastav and Alka Sawarkar

Department of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Veterinary Science & A.H., N.D.V.S.U., Jabalpur (M.P.), India

*Corresponding Author: Sachin Kumar Jain, Department of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Veterinary Science & A.H., N.D.V.S.U., Jabalpur (M.P.), India.

Received: July 07, 2025; Published: August 25, 2025

Abstract

The medical community has been made aware of toxicological disaster by animal behavior, frequently long before negative health effects in humans. An animal's first indication that it is uncomfortable in its surroundings is a change in its usual conduct, which should not be disregarded. A change in animal behavior within an ecosystem may indicate that the environment is not suited for humans as well. Although an animal's sensitivity to a pollutant varies by species, almost all pollutants have the potential to cause more or less obvious behavioral changes, increased susceptibility to stressors and diseases, respiratory system damage, neurological issues, decreased production and reproduction, etc. Chemicals, geochemicals, biological, and physical entities that humans purposefully or unintentionally release into the environment and have negative impacts are known as environmental pollutants. A frequent bioindicator of environmental pollution is aquatic life, insects, and other species.

 Keywords: Environmental Pollutants; Animal Behavior; Bioindicator

References

1. Relic R and Stojcic MD. “Influence of environmental pollution on animal behavior”. Contemporary Agriculture4 (2023): 216-223.
2. Sievers M., et al. “Contaminant-induced behavioural changes in amphibians: A meta-analysis”. Science of the Total Environment 693 (2019):
3. Brown JA., et al. “Introduction of artificial light at night increases the abundance of predators, scavengers, and parasites in arthropod communities”. iScience3 (2023): 106203.
4. Burt CS., et al. “The effects of light pollution on migratory animal behavior”. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 38.4 (2023): 355-368.
5. NRC (U.S. National Research Council). Animals as sentinels of environmental health hazards. National Academy Press, Washington, DC (1991).
6. Aronson SM. “The dancing cats of Minamata Bay”. Medical Health Research 88 (2005):
7. Rajeswari T R and Sailaja N. “Impact of heavy metals on environmental pollution”. Journal of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Special Issue 3 (2014): 175-181.
8. Buttke Danielle E. “Toxicology, Environmental Health, and the “One Health” Concept”. Journal of Medical Toxicology 7 (2011): 329-332.
9. Escher B. “Molecular Mechanisms in Aquatic Ecotoxicology: Specific and Non-specific Membrane Toxicity”. A Habilitation Thesis in Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Zürich, ETH Zürich, Habilitationsschrift (2001).
10. Bols N C., et al. “Ecotoxicology and innate immunity in fish”. Developmental and Comparative Immunology 25 (2001): 853-873.
11. Hinojosa MB., et al. “Soil moisture pre-treatment effects on enzyme activities as indicators of heavy metal- contaminated and reclaimed soils”. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 36 (2004): 1559–1568.
12. Singh Jiwan and Kalamdhad A S. “Effects of Heavy Metals on Soil, Plants, Human Health and Aquatic Life”. J. Res. Chem. Environ. 1.2 (2011): 15-21.
13. Sprynskyy M., et al. “Influence of clinoptilolite rock on chemical speciation of selected heavy metals in sewage sludge”. Journal of Hazardous Materials 149 (2007): 310-316.
14. Jordao CP., et al. “Heavy metal availability in soil amended with composted urban solid wastes”. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 112 (2006): 309-326.
15. Sharma RK., et al. “Heavy metal contamination of soil and vegetables in suburban areas of Varanasi, India”. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 66 (2007): 258-266.
16. Jacquin L., et al. “Effects of Pollution on Fish Behavior, Personality, and Cognition: Some Research Perspectives”. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 8 (2020):
17. Johnson M T and Strinchcombe J R. "An emerging synthesis between community ecology and evolutionary biology". Trends in Ecology and Evolution5 (2007): 250-257.
18. Gilliom RJ., et al. “The Quality of our nation’s waters: Pesticides in the nation’s streams and ground water, 1992–2001”. US Geological Survey (2007).
19. Hackenberg D. "Letter from David Hackenberg to American growers”. Plattform Imkerinnen Austria (2007).
20. Miller GT. “Sustaining the Earth, 6^th edition”. Thompson Learning, Inc. Pacific Grove, California, USA (2004).
21. Kegley S., et al. “Disrupting the Balance, Ecological Impacts of Pesticides in California, California, USA”. (1999).
22. Henry L. “Levels of some Pesticides in Environmental Samples from Southern Lake Victoria and its Catchments and their Chemodynamics in Tilapia Species, Water and Sediments Under Experimental Conditions, Tanzania”. (2003).
23. , et al. “The cause of global amphibians decline: a developmental endocrinologist perspective”. Journal of Experimental Biology 213.6 (2010): 921.
24. Lorenz ES. “Potential Health Effects of Pesticides”. Ag Communications and Marketing (2009): 1-8.
25. Glenn W Johnson., et al. “Polychlorinated Biphenyls”. Edited by Robert D. Morrison, Brian L. Murphy, Environmental Forensics, Academic Press, 1964, (2005): 187-225.
26. Igwe JC and Ukaogo PO. “Environmental Effects of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons”. Journal of Natural Sciences Research7 (2015): 117-131.
27. Peter H A. “Petroleum and individual Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon in D.J. Hoffman, B.A. Rattner, G.A. Buston, J. Cairns editors”. Handbook of Ecotoxicology. Lewis Publisher (2003): 342, 359.
28. Borosky GL. “Theoretical study related to the carcinogenic activity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon derivatives”. The Journal of Organic Chemistry 64 (1999): 7738-7744.
29. Prakash V., et al. “Recent changes in populations of resident Gyps vultures in India”. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society 104 (2007): 129-135.
30. Kvarnryda M., et al. “Early life progestin exposure causes arrested oocyte development, oviductal agenesis and sterility in adult Xenopus tropicalis frogs”. Aquatic Toxicology 103 (2011): 18-24.
31. Jobling S., et al. “Widespread sexual disruption in wild fish”. Environmental Science and Technology 32 (1998): 2498-2506.
32. “Smog”. T. Editors of Encyclopedia. Encyclopedia Britannica (2023).
33. Catcott EJ. “Effects of air pollution on animals”. In: Air Pollution, World Health Organization: Monograph Series, No. 46 (1961): 221-231.
34. Dey T., et al. “The risk of being bitten by a dog is higher on hot, sunny, and smoggy days”. Scientific Reports 13 (2023): 8749.
35. Relić R., et al. “Behavioral and health problems of poultry related to rearing systems”. Ankara Universitesi Veteriner Fakultesi Dergisi4 (2019): 423-428.
36. Michel V., et al. “The Relationships between Damaging Behaviours and Health in Laying Hens”. Animals8 (2022): 986.
37. Jones EKM., et al. “Avoidance of atmospheric ammonia by domestic fowl and the effect of early experience”. Applied Animal Behaviour Science3-4 (2005): 293-308.
38. Ni JQ., et al. “A Critical review of advancement in scientific research on food animal welfare-related air pollution”. Journal of Hazardous Materials 408 (2021): 124468.
39. Fackelmann G and Sommer S. “Microplastics and the gut microbiome: how chronically exposed species may suffer from gut dysbiosis”. Marine Pollution Bulletin 143 (2019): 193-203.
40. Chen Q., et al. “Factors Affecting the Adsorption of Heavy Metals by Microplastics and their Toxic Effects on Fish”. Toxics 11 (2023): 490.

Citation

Citation: Vidhi Gautam, Sachin Kumar Jain., et al. “Environmental Pollution and Animal Behavior: A Forerunner to Promote Health and Well Being”.Acta Scientific Medical Sciences 9.9 (2025): 75-82.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2025 Vidhi Gautam, Sachin Kumar Jain., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.