Human hair is considered as a potential biowaste worldwide, and improper disposal of hair can create multiple environmental problems. Due to unique characteristic features, human waste hair can be efficiently utilized for versatile applications, from agricultural industries to fashion industries. There is a huge business of human hair in many multinational countries and also in some rural areas of India. The continuous demand of such keratinous waste for human need in turn is producing residual waste at an alarming rate that causes environmental degradation. Therefore, our study aims to investigate the possible impacts of waste hair reprocessing activity on environmental health in rural India, citing examples from Radhapur village. Physico-chemical parameters of pond water and soil from the dumpsite were assessed. Along with this, elemental profile of waste hair, pond water and soil was estimated. To assess the deterioration of water quality, zooplankton diversity was also measured. Water quality index showed that the studied ponds are unsuitable for drinking purpose and aquaculture. The Shannon index further indicated comparatively lower diversity of zooplankton community in the studied ponds. Due to the presence of total organic carbon and available N–P–K, the soil can sustain the growth and survival of plants; however, the risk of toxic metal accumulation may be persisted. Hence, to enhance the utilization of waste hair in a large scale, a policy framework is extremely required that will incorporate environmental and social well-being and provide necessary support towards sustainable development. Future study needs to be carried out to eliminate the toxic elements from the water and soil using some phytoremediation strategies.

人发被认为是全球范围内潜在的生物废料，不适当的头发处理会造成多种环境问题。由于独特的特征，人类废发可以有效地用于从农业到时尚的多种应用。在许多跨国国家和印度的某些农村地区，人类头发的业务量很大。对这种角蛋白废物的持续需求反过来满足了人类的需求，正以惊人的速度产生残留废物，导致环境恶化。因此，我们的研究旨在以Radhapur村为例，研究废毛再加工活动对印度农村环境健康的可能影响。评估了垃圾场的池塘水和土壤的理化参数。伴随着这个 估算了废发，池塘水和土壤的元素分布。为了评估水质的恶化，还测量了浮游动物的多样性。水质指数表明，所研究的池塘不适合饮用和养殖。香农指数进一步表明研究池塘中浮游动物群落的多样性相对较低。由于总有机碳和有效氮磷钾的存在，土壤可以维持植物的生长和存活。但是，有毒金属积累的风险可能会持续存在。因此，为了大规模地利用废发，迫切需要一个政策框架，该框架应兼顾环境和社会福祉，并为可持续发展提供必要的支持。