ESTIMATION OF BIOACCUMULATION, TRANSLOCATION AND DISTRIBUTION PATTERNS OF CADMIUM AND LEAD IN COMMONLY CONSUMED GREEN LEAFY VEGETABLES IN COLOMBO DISTRICT, SRI LANKA

Abstract

Green Leafy Vegetables (GLV) are a key component of the Sri Lankan diet. However, GLV are identified as good heavy metal accumulators, which in turns causes potential health risks for consumers through food chain contaminations. The present study aimed to investigate the bioaccumulation, translocation and distribution patterns of cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) in five key Sri Lankan GLV [Kankun (Ipomoea aquatica), “Mukunuwenna (Alternanthera sessilis), “Thampala” (Amaranthus viridis), “Nivithi” (Basella alba) and “Kohila” (Lasia spinosa)] grown in Colombo District, Sri Lanka. The levels of Cd and Pb in different plant parts (roots, stems and leaves) and the soil underneath were determined using the inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and the bioaccumulation and translocation factors of heavy metals from soil to different plants parts (roots, stems, leaves), were calculated to identify the hyper accumulative species. Irrespective of the species and the location, GLV showed the distribution pattern for Cd and Pb as: roots>stems>leaves. In all the analyzed GLV, roots have accumulated significantly higher concentrations (at P 1. Thus, Lasia spinosa has the potential to use in phytoextraction purposes in future, though it is not safe to consume as a day to day food item. Article DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.20319/mijst.2018.42.93112 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.