Heavy metal pollution, typically caused by mining and smelting, is a major threat to human health - but the problem is seemingly not new.
Links:
[1] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/news/man-has-been-polluting-earth-middle-palaeolithic-heavy-metal-contamination-caused-neanderthal-0
[2] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/newspaper/daily-mail-united-kingdom
[3] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/environment
[4] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/pollution
[5] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/heavy-metals
[6] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/history
[7] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/spain