EVALUATION OF HEAVY METALS IN A SELECTION OF DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN VEGETABLES COLLECTED AT THE ERBIL MARKET

Determination of trace metals in vegetables using ICP-MS

Toxicological assessment of heavy metals accumulated in vegetables and fruits grown in Ginfel river near Sheba Tannery, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

The irrigation source plays an important role in the amount of contaminates in soil and cultivated agricultural products. In this study, the concentration and human health risks of heavy metals (Zn, Mn, Cu, Cr, Cd and Pb) were evaluated in soil, water and vegetables collected from two sites (FGW: Farms irrigated with ground water, FWW: Farms irrigated with wastewater) of Bushehr, Iran. The trend of heavy metals concentration in vegetables from either site was in the following order: Mn ˃ Zn ˃ Cu ˃ Pb ˃ Cr ˃ Cd. Except Cd and Pb, the concentration of heavy metals was in the range of European Union (2006) permissible limit. THQ (Target hazard quotient) values were the highest in Mn followed by the Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn and Cr. Mn, Pb and Cd exceeded safe limit of THQ in several cases, while THQ of other heavy metals was in the range of safe limit. Based on the results, it can be concluded that heavy metals contamination in vegetables grown in Bushehr, especially in FWW site, may pose a great health risks to the local inhabitant through consumption of vegetables. Therefore, it is recommended that the discharge of industrial and municipal wastewater into water resources witch used for vegetable irrigation should be the first step in controlling the level of heavy metals in vegetables.

Heavy metal accumulation in agricultural crops has grown a major concern globally as a result of a significant health impact on human. The quantification of heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Cr, Zn, Cu, and Ni) in the soil and vegetables at two sites (Koka and Wonji Gefersa) was done using flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The mean concentrations of heavy metals in vegetable fields' soil samples obtained from Koka were higher for Pb, Cr, Zn, Cu, and Ni. The overall results of soil samples ranged 0.52-0.93, 13.6-27.3, 10.0-21.8, 44.4-88.5, 11.9-30.3, and 14.7-34.5mgkg-1 for Cd, Pb, Cr, Zn, Cu, and Ni, respectively. The concentrations of heavy metals were maximum for Cd (0.41±0.03mgkg-1), Pb (0.54±0.11mgkg-1), Zn (14.4±0.72mgkg-1), Cu (2.84±0.27mgkg-1), and Ni (1.09±0.11mgkg-1) in Cabbage and for Cr (2.63±0.11mg kg-1) in green pepper. The result indicated that Cd has high transfer factor value and Pb was the lowest. The transfer pattern for heavy metals in different vegetables showed a trend in the order: Cd > Zn > Cu > Cr > Ni > Pb. Among different vegetables, cabbage showed the highest value of metal pollution index and bean had the lowest value. Hazard index of all the vegetables was less than unity; thus, the consumption of these vegetables is unlikely to pose health risks to the target population.

The risk of exposure to the population from heavy metals in an area that have witnessed a surge in illegal mining activities, cattle rustling and banditry were evaluated in the current study. Lettuce leaves sample from Gadirge village, Jibia local Government area, Katsina State, Nigeria was evaluated for the presence of heavy metals using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry. The health risks of the evaluated heavy metals in the sample to the population were assessed using the Target Hazard Quotient (THQ) and Health Risk Index (HRI)) to assess the possible non-carcinogenic effect and the Incremental Lifetime Cancer Risk (ILCR) for the cancer risks. The result of the mean concentration values of the evaluated heavy metals Fe and Pb from the sample falls above the Maximum Allowable Concentrations (MAC) of heavy metals in leafy vegetables. The concentrations of the other metals including Cu, Zn, Ni, Mn and Cd evaluated in the sample were within the permissible values. The result of the Target Hazard Quotient (THQ) associated with the evaluated heavy metals exposure through consumption of the sample for adults and children were all lower than 1, with exception of the THQ for the heavy metals Fe and Mn in the adults and children population that was above 1. The combined health risks for all the metals in the sample for the adults and children population represented as the HRI were higher than 1, the result of the Incremental Life Cancer Risk (ILCR) for both the adult and children population has revealed that the heavy metal Ni was beyond the threshold of the safety limit for cancer risk. There is a health risk concern from consumption of the sample as the vegetable may contribute to the disease burden of the population.

Mining and smelting activities engender soil contamination by metals severely. A field survey was conducted to investigate the present situation and health risk of heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu, Cr, As, and Hg) in soils and vegetables in the surrounding area of an 80-year-old zinc smelter in northeastern China. Soil pH, organic matter (SOM), and cation exchange capacity (CEC) were determined, and their relations with heavy metal contents in edible parts of vegetables were analyzed. Results showed that the smelting had led to the significant contamination of the local soils by Cd and Zn, with average concentrations of 3.88 and 403.89mgkg-1, respectively. Concentrations of Cd and Zn in greenhouse soils were much lower than those in open farmland soils. Cd concentrations in vegetable edible parts exceeded the permissible limits severely, while other metal concentrations were much lower than the corresponding standards. Leaf and root vegetables had higher concentrations and bioaccumulation factors (BCFs) of Cd than fruit vegetables. Hazard quotient and hazard index showed that cadmium is imposing a health risk to local residents via vegetable consumption. Cd uptake of some vegetables can be predicted by empirical models with the following parameters: soil pH, SOM, CEC, Zn concentrations, and Cd concentrations. Vegetables such as cabbage, Chinese cabbage, tomato, cucumber, and green bean were screened out as being suitable to grow in the studied area.

The health risk to the population from exposure to heavy metals in an area that have witnessed a surge in illegal mining activities, cattle rustling and banditry were evaluated in the current study. Moringa leaves sample from Jabiyawa village, Jibia local Government area, Katsina State, Nigeria was evaluated for the presence of heavy metals using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry. The health risks of the evaluated heavy metals in the sample to the population were assessed using the Target Hazard Quotient (THQ) and Health Risk Index (HRI)) to assess the possible non-carcinogenic effect and the Incremental Lifetime Cancer Risk (ILCR) for the cancer risks. The result of the mean concentration values of the evaluated heavy metals Fe, Cu and Pb from the sample falls above the Maximum Allowable Concentrations (MAC) of heavy metals in leafy vegetables. The concentrations of the other metals including Zn, Ni, Mn and Cd evaluated in the sample were within the permissible values The results of the Target Hazard Quotient (THQ) associated with the evaluated heavy metals exposure through consumption of the sample for adults and children were below 1, with exception of the THQ for the heavy metal Cu in the children population that was above 1. The combined health risks for all the metals in the sample for the adults and children population represented as the HRI were above 1. The result of the Incremental Life Cancer Risk (ILCR) for both the adults and children population shows that the heavy metal Ni is beyond the threshold of the safety limit for cancer risk. There is a health risk concern from consumption of the sample as the vegetable may contribute to the disease burden of the population.

Heavy metals are present in our environment, and it is therefore difficult to avoid their presence and impact on the human organism. Some heavy metals are essential to the human body, but if not in high concentrations. It is known that heavy metals can be found in many cosmetic products, and one of these is hair colours, where they can enter the body through the skin and root of the hair. In this way, if they are in high concentrations in the body, they can cause various health problems. It is therefore more important to determine the content of heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Co, Zn and Fe) in hair dyes by using different types made by different manufacturers. Also, the aim of the paper is to compare the concentrations of heavy metals in the dyes used to produce brighter and darker hair shades. For determining the concentration of heavy metals, eight haircut dyes produced in 2015 were used, and they were purchased in markets and drug stores in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The analysis of heavy metals was done by the atomic absorption spectrophotometry method on the atomic absorption spectrophotometer “Perkin Elmer” AAnalyst-800 with Zeeman correction, flame technique. The samples were prepared by wet digestion in the microwave oven Anton Paar Multiwave 3000, in a mixture of nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide in a ratio of 1 mL H2O2 and 6 mL HNO3. In all the analysed hair dyes’ samples, heavy metals Cd, Pb, Co, Zn and Fe were detected. The concentrations of heavy metals in the analysed hair colours were different, but there was no significant difference between the concentration of the metal in the same dyes’ shades from different manufacturers. Hair dyes producing the darker shades of hair have a higher content of heavy metals than those used to produce brighter shades. Also, low concentrations of toxic heavy metals Pb and Cd were detected in all samples, however these heavy metals were strictly forbidden to be used as material (EU Directive No 1223/2009) for the production of cosmetic products, including hair dyes. Thus, all these analysed cosmetic products should not be used because of a potential negative health effect.

This study reports the distribution of eight heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, and Pb) in the outer and inner tissues of ten different vegetables from the Qassim region of Saudi Arabia. The oven-dried (65°C, 48 h) vegetable samples were subjected to microwave acid digestion before heavy metals analysis using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. The results showed that Co, Cd, and Pb were absent in the outer tissues of all the vegetables, whereas these elements were detected in the inner tissues of some vegetables in the ranges of 0.01–0.23 mg/kg wet weight, 0.03–0.42 mg/kg, and 0.02–3.44 mg/kg, respectively. The traces of Hg (1.83–3.59 μg/kg) were noticed in the outer tissues of all the samples; however, it was not detected in the inner tissues of vegetables. The variable distribution of heavy metals in different vegetables is influenced by several factors, including exposure route, physicochemical properties of heavy metals, species of crops, cultivation strategy, soil type, and growing conditions. In conclusion, although the representative samples of vegetables used in this study contained safe levels of Cd, Co, Ni, and Pb, higher than recommended upper limits of Cr, Cu, and Mn were observed in some vegetables. These findings suggested that regular monitoring of heavy metals in vegetables is important to safeguard consumers.

Health risks of heavy metals to the general public in Tianjin, China via consumption of vegetables and fish

Background: Nowadays, the heavy metals pollution is increasing and the accumulation of these metals in food has posed adverse effects on humans such as inducing various kinds of cancer and non-cancer diseases. The Northeast of Iran, especially Torkman Sahra, has the maximum number of patients with esophageal cancer. Objectives: We investigated the levels of four heavy metals (Zn, Cd, Pb, and Cu) in cucumber and tomato samples in Golestan province, an endemic esophageal cancer region. We evaluated the levels and potential health risks of heavy metals in vegetable samples of Northeastern Iran. Methods: The heavy metal content of the samples was determined by polarography methods. All sample preparation and digestion procedures were carried out according to the Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, 20th Edition. Results: The results showed that Cd and Pb concentrations in cucumber and tomato were estimated to be respectively 2.4 to 14.4 and 1.6 to 7 folds higher whereas Zn and Cu levels were lower than the maximum permissible limit for vegetables. The amounts of Pb intake through the consumption of these vegetables were determined more than the provisional tolerable daily intake. The total non-cancer and cancer risk results indicated that the investigated region was relatively unsuitable for growing the vegetables in the view of the risk of the elevated intakes of heavy metals adversely affecting food safety for consumers. Pb was the heavy metal posing non-cancer risks while Cd caused the greatest cancer risk. Conclusions: It was concluded that due to the toxic effects of cadmium and lead, we should be more serious to reduce pollution levels in this region.

The intake of heavy metals through contaminated food crops has raised concerns about potential carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health impacts on humans. This study assessed levels of heavy metals in vegetables (lettuce, green beans, carrots, eggplant, cabbage, and spinach) and soil obtained from Barkin Ladi and Riyom Areas of Plateau State, along with their bioaccumulation. A total of six vegetables and six soil samples were taken from farms in each of these areas, prepared and digested using aqua regia, and the supernatant was analyzed using AAS for heavy metals (Pb, Zn, Cr, Co, Cd, Mn, and Cu). The concentration of these metals in vegetables in Barkin Ladi ranged from Pb (0.0019 – 0.0165), Zn (0.0783 – 2.7462), Cr (0.0814 – 0.2994), Co (0.0027 – 0.1165), Cd (0.0012 – 0.0170), Mn (0.0280 – 1.1132), and Cu (0.1851 – 1.4199) in mg/kg respectively, while in Riyom the values varied from Pb (0.0013 – 0.0145), Zn (0.0763 – 2.7432), Cr (0.0804 – 0.2944), Co (0.0017 – 0.1135), Cd (0.0010 – 0.0150), Mn (0.0230 – 1.1102), and Cu (0.1751 – 1.2199) in mg/kg correspondingly. The average concentration of heavy metals Pb, Zn, Cr, Co, Cd, Mn, and Cu in soil from Barkin Ladi and Riyom were 0.0138, 0.2495, 0.0722, 0.4646, 0.0577, 3.4897, 0.9007 and 0.0124, 0.2465, 0.0690, 0.4523, 0.0555, 3.4755, 0.8973 mg/kg respectively. The bioaccumulation factor for Pb in both study areas is less than 1.00 except for eggplant, which has values of 2.895 and 3.919 in Barkin Ladi and Riyom respectively, raising concern. The accumulation of Pb can be harmful to human health due to long-term consumption of eggplant in these areas. Other metals with bioaccumulation values greater than 1.00 are not significantly toxic to humans. However, constant monitoring of these metals in vegetables within these areas is recommended to prevent accumulation from long-term consumption, which could have negative impacts on human health.

One of the key concerns in public health is food security in the food sector. Due to the large amounts of potentially hazardous metals in wastewater, this practice may pose serious environmental and health risks to neighboring residents. In this study, the health effects of heavy metals in vegetables irrigated with wastewater were studied. The findings indicated a massive accumulation of heavy metals in wastewater-irrigated soil and vegetables collected from Bhakkar, Pakistan. The current study looked at the effects of wastewater irrigation on metal buildup in the soil-plant continuum and the health hazards that come with it (Cd, Co, Ni, Mn, Pb, and Fe). Heavy metal concentrations in vegetables cultivated on soil irrigated with untreated wastewater were not significantly lower (p ≥ 0.05) than in vegetables grown on wastewater-irrigated soil and were below the World Health Organization's recommended limits. A considerable amount of the selected hazardous metals was also swallowed by adults and children who consumed these vegetables, according to the research. On soil that had received wastewater irrigation, Ni and Mn were substantially different at p ≥ 0.001 levels. Pb, Ni, and Cd had health risk scores higher than the ones in all ingested vegetables, while Mn had a health risk score greater than the ones in turnips, carrots, and lettuce. The results also showed that both adults and children who consumed these vegetables absorbed a significant amount of the chosen toxic metals. Pb and Cd were shown to be the most dangerous chemical compounds to human health, and everyday consumption of agricultural plants irrigated with wastewater may pose a health risk, according to the health risk criteria.

Consuming vegetables as food offers rapid and least means of providing adequate vitamins, minerals, and fibers. Vegetables used as food include those used in making soups or as integral parts of the primary sources of a meal. Leafy vegetables occupy a significant place in the human diet. Environmental exposure to heavy metals is a well-known risk factor for human health. The concentration of the heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Cd, and Cr) in vegetables from the Sebha market was determined using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy AAS). In the Sebha local market, different vegetable types from different locations are marketed. Therefore this investigation was conducted to study the state of the accumulation of some heavy metals such as Cu, Cd, Pb and Cr. in some selected vegetables which include Solanum tuberosum (Potatoes), Allium cepa L. (Onion), Daucus Corota L. (Carrot), Cucurbita Pepo (Courgette), Solanum melongena L. (Eggplant), Lactuca sativa L. (Lettuce), Petroselinum crispum (mill.) Nym. (Parsley) and Spinacea oleracea (Spinach). The mean levels of these heavy metals ranged from 0.0-0.03, 0.0-2.36 and 0.0.0-8.13. ppm for Pb, Cd, and Cr. respectively. Among the vegetables studied, Cd and Cr exceeded the allowable limits recommended by WHO/FAO in some vegetables, whereas Cu and Pb concentrations are under the detectable limit. Statistical analysis shows a positive correlation between Cd and Cr at 0.01 and between Cd and Cr, Cd and Pb at 0.05.

Health risks of heavy metal exposure through vegetable consumption near a large-scale Pb/Zn smelter in central China