Effects of Chromium and Arsenic from tannery waste on soil microbial communities in Pakisan

The tanning industry has been a primary source of industry in Punjab provence of Pakistan. However, inadequate waste storage has led to wide spread arsenic and chromium contamination of water sources in and near these processing facilities. It is known that chromium and arsenic is toxic not only to animals but also to bacteria. It is known that some bacteria can mediate the detoxification As and Cr however little has been done to characterize the change to microbial communities that are chronically exposed to these toxic compounds. We hope this work will provide an initial background so that future remediation strategies can be implemented.