Abstract
Heavy metal contamination of polluted site has become a recurring decimal globally posing a threat to human life and biodiversity. This study was carried out to investigate the bioaccumulation potential and health risk assessment associated with the consumption of two indigenous vegetables Corchorus olitorius L. (Malvaceae) and Amaranthus hybridus (Amaranthaceae) in Akure. Initial pre soil analysis showed that the heavy metal concentration were above the safe limit as recommended by World Health Organization (WHO). The heavy metals investigated include Cr, Ni, Cd, Fe and Pb for their bioaccumulation factor to provide baseline data regarding environmental safety and suitability of the vegetables for human consumption. Translocation factor, Daily Intake of Metal (DIM), Health Risk Index (HRI) and Oral Refrence Dose (RFD) were calculated following standard methods. This study concludes that different vegetables accumulate and translocate variable amount of heavy metals from the soil into their tissues. Hence, it is not advisable to consume vegetable samples collected from this site based on the permissible limits as recommended by World Health Organization (WHO).
Highlights
Bioaccumulation of toxic heavy metals in human body system is very dangerous to human health as it could cause damage to some of the visceral organs in the body that can lead to serious health problem (Rusan et al, 2007)
The average numbers of leaves of Amaranthus hybridus shows that there is no significant difference in the different levels of contamination of the samples investigated (Figure 2)
The present study indicated that all of the heavy metal concentrations in the polluted sites were higher than the permissible limits in both vegetable samples
Summary
Bioaccumulation of toxic heavy metals in human body system is very dangerous to human health as it could cause damage to some of the visceral organs in the body that can lead to serious health problem (Rusan et al, 2007). Sci. http://revista.rebibio.net accumulation of heavy metals could lead to development of cancers (Gupta, 2008). Most heavy metals are contained in the soil but may not come only from the bed rock of the soil, and from solid or liquid waste deposits, agricultural inputs and industrial emissions (Wilson and Pyatt, 2007). Excessive discharge of these waste products into the soil could lead to contamination and accumulation of the toxic heavy metals in the soil which in turn lead to their adsorption by plants
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