Abstract
In this study, we conducted a noncarcinogenic risk assessment of consuming vegetables and fruits grown in two old mining areas from the Banat area of Southern Carpathians (Romania), Moldova Veche (M) and Rusca Montana (R) and in a nonpolluted reference area located near the village of Borlova (Ref). Concentrations of Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cd and Pb in soils and commonly eaten vegetables and fruits were measured and used for calculating the weighted estimated daily intake of metals (WEDIM), the target hazard quotients (THQ) and the total target hazard quotients (TTHQ) for normal daily consumption in adults. Levels of certain metals in soils and plants from the R area (Pb) and the M area (Cu) were higher than those measured in the Ref area—and often exceeded normal or even alert-threshold levels. TTHQs for the R area (1.60; 6.03) and the M area (1.11; 2.54) were above one for leafy vegetables and root vegetables, respectively, suggesting a major risk of adverse health effects for diets, including these vegetal foodstuffs. Moreover, THQ and TTHQ indicated a higher population health risk for the R area than for the M area, with the Ref area being a safe zone.
Highlights
Heavy metals, such as iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb), are high-profile inorganic pollutants that once extracted from the natural environment and accumulated in plant foodstuffs can pose a serious hazard for both human and environmental health [1,2,3,4]
By investigating metal content in over 15 commonly eaten fruits and vegetables, this study significantly expands previous knowledge on noncarcinogenic risk associated with consumption of vegetal foodstuffs originating from the former mining areas of Banat (Southern Carpathians), which until now was limited to data related to carrot, parsley, onion, green beans, cucumber and cabbage [26]
All the measured target hazard quotients (THQ) values in this area stayed below 1, the target hazard quotients (TTHQ) values were above this limit
Summary
Heavy metals, such as iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) (hereinafter referred to as metals), are high-profile inorganic pollutants that once extracted from the natural environment and accumulated in plant foodstuffs can pose a serious hazard for both human and environmental health [1,2,3,4]. There is compelling evidence for elevated metal uptake in people consuming food crops, vegetables and fruits grown on anthropically contaminated soils, and/or animal products (e.g., meat, milk, eggs) originating from these areas [10,11,12]. These amounts were often reported to be high enough to affect human health at multiple biologic levels [10,13,14], especially in populations from legacy/actual mining areas, large cities and/or the surrounding suburban. Public Health 2020, 17, 5172; doi:10.3390/ijerph17145172 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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