December 2021 | Volume 34 | Issue 4 | Page 799 Pakistan Journal of Agricultural Research Review Article Introduction C admium is highly toxic element abundantly found in nature, and an important component of earth layer (crust) including soil, water, air, under- ground soil, mines, plant tissues, animal tissues, and ores. Cadmium may cause adverse efects on human, animal and plants health especially when its concen- tration exceeds the limit due to continuous produc- tion. Cadmium ranges in earth crust between 0.1 to 0.5 ppm, in marine Because of high environmental and human health concerns, a lot of research has been done over the past 50 years. Sources of Cd emission are both natural and anthropogenic (manmade). To- tal Cd emission from natural sources ranges from 10-50% (Morrow et al., 1995; Nawrot et al., 2006). Mining activities are the biggest source of Cd emis- sion in environment and contaminate soil, air, water Abstract | Cadmium (Cd) is highly toxic metal which naturally exists in environment in small proportion but continuously increasing due to anthropogenic activities. Te rapid increase in population is putting pressure on urbanization, agriculture and industrialization which have resulted in gradual increase in Cd level. It is released from industries as an impurity and pollutes soil, water and air in diferent ways. High solubility in water increases its mobility in the soil ecosystem. Te use of sludge and chemical sprays on crops increase the Cd contamination besides some other heavy metals. Trough nutrient cycling, it is taken up from the soil to plants and fnally becomes the part of human body which warrants serious health concerns. Cadmium causes mild to severe efects on plants, animals and environmental health. Humans are exposed to cadmium through food, water intake, inhalation (cigarette) and dermal contact which then produces heart disease, kidney failure, lung cancer, orthopedic disease, nervous system failure, low immunity level, mental retardation and growth retardation. Diferent environmental friendly and low cost biological remedies are used nowadays to control Cd toxicity such as phytoremediation phytostabilisation, rhizoflteration, phytoextraction. Tis review paper has summarized the impact of Cd on soil, plants and humans and strategies to remove or minimize its toxicity by applying some low cost and environmental friendly techniques. Khaliq Dad 1 , Muhammad Nawaz 2 *, Muhamamd Ibrahim 3 , Fengliang Zhao 4 , Rumsha Hassan 2 , Humaira Nawaz 5 , Muhammad Usman Saleem 6 , Kinat Javed 2 , Ayesha Komal 2 and Hajra Naz 2 1 Government Degree Boys College, Shah Sadder Din, D.G.Khan, Pakistan; 2 Department of Environmental Sciences, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan; 3 Department of Biochemistry, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan; 4 Institute of Environmental and Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agriculture Science, Haikou, Hainan, China; 5 College of Earth and Environmental Science, University, of Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan; 6 Department of Biosciences, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan. Received | June 27, 2021; Accepted | September 07, 2021; Published | October 14, 2021 *Correspondence | Muhammad Nawaz, Department of Environmental Sciences, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan; Email: mnawaz@bzu.edu.pk Citation | Dad, K., M. Nawaz, M. Ibrahim, F. Zhao, R. Hassan, H. Nawaz, M.U. Saleem, K. Javed, A. Komal and H. Naz. 2021. A review on the adverse impacts of cadmium on ecosystem and its refnement strategies. Pakistan Journal of Agricultural Research, 34(4): 799-812. DOI | https://dx.doi.org/10.17582/journal.pjar/2021/34.4.799.812 Keywords | Cadmium toxicity, Sources, Environmental impacts, Remediation techniques A Review on the Adverse Impacts of Cadmium on Ecosystem and its Refinement Strategies