Hazard of selenium metal contamination in vegetables grown in municipal solid waste amended soil: Assessment of the potential sources and systemic health effects

Abstract

Quantitatively and qualitatively, food security is a top goal for long-term global development. In a relatively narrow spectrum and at trace levels, selenium is both needed and poisonous for living creatures (including humans). Its presence in municipal solid waste (MSW) can be beneficial when applied to land when concentrations are low, but it can also provide a long-term risk to plants, water resources, animals, and humans. Therefore, a study was conducted to determine the effect of Se in municipal solid waste amendments (MSW), especially for the mobility of Se from contaminated soil to vegetables. The results showed that Se concentration increased with the increase in MSW, with the highest pollution load index (1.34) observed at 75% municipal solid waste treated (T3). Among fifteen commonly consumed vegetables, the highest uptake of Se was observed by A. cepa (0.043) at T3 during the 2nd growing year. The concentration of Se was also evaluated from different samples taken from residents living in different sites of Sargodha. The concentration of Se is increased by increasing the fraction of MSW not only in the soil but also in the grown vegetables and ultimately in the consumers. Therefore, despite the many advantages of MSW, proper heavy metal and metalloid screening is required in all forms (MSW, soil, and food). MSW application requires adequate rigorous rules and regulatory oversight to prevent pollution of agricultural soils.