Fertilizers are widely used in agriculture and allied sectors to increase crop productivity, improve soil fertility, and ensure food security for a growing global population. However, excessive or improper fertilizer application has significant environmental and human health impacts. Modern fertilizers mainly contain macronutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, along with secondary nutrients and micronutrients. While these inputs are essential for crop growth, their mismanagement leads to soil degradation, water pollution, atmospheric contamination, biodiversity loss, and health risks for human populations. One of the major environmental effects of fertilizer application is soil degradation. Continuous use of chemical fertilizers without organic matter supplementation reduces soil structure and microbial diversity. High nitrogen fertilizers can increase soil acidity, which affects nutrient availability and damages beneficial soil microorganisms. Over time, soil becomes compacted, reducing aeration and water infiltration. This leads to reduced long-term productivity and increases dependence on chemical inputs. In addition, imbalance in nutrient application can cause nutrient mining or nutrient toxicity, disturbing natural soil nutrient cycles. Water pollution is another serious environmental issue associated with fertilizer use. Excess nitrogen and phosphorus from agricultural fields are often washed into rivers, lakes, and groundwater through surface runoff and leaching. This leads to eutrophication, a process in which excessive nutrients stimulate algal blooms in water bodies. These algal blooms consume dissolved oxygen when they decompose, leading to hypoxic or dead zones where aquatic life cannot survive. Contaminated groundwater containing high