Abstract
Health assumptions to the population due to the utilization of contaminated vegetables have been a great concern all over the world. In this study, an investigation has been conducted to ascertain metal concentrations in the wastewater, soil and commonly consumed vegetables from the vicinity of Gadoon Industrial Estate Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan. Physicochemical parameters such as pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS) and total solids (TS) and heavy metals such as Pb, Cr, Cd, Ni, Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). Moreover, possible health risks due to the consumption of vegetables have also been estimated. pH and TSS in wastewater were found to be higher than the permissible limit set by WHO (1996). These results revealed that Cr concentration in the wastewater was above the permissible limits of United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) which may lead to a detrimental effect on soil quality deterioration, ultimately leading to food contamination. ANOVA analysis demonstrated a significant difference in soil samples for Pb, Cr, Cd, Ni, Zn and Cu at p ≤ 0.001, for Mn at p ≤ 0.05 while no significant difference was observed for Fe respectively. ANOVA analysis also exhibited the highest mean value for Pb, Cr, Cd and Zn in vegetables. A substantial positive correlation was found among the soil and vegetable contamination. The transfer factor for Cr, Pb, Zn, Mn, Ni, Cd and Cu was greater than 0.5 due to contamination caused by domestic discharges and industrial effluents. Health assessment via consumption of dietary vegetables revealed a higher level than the permissible limit (HRI > 1) for Pb and Cd in children and adults. Enrichment factor (EF) due to consumption of vegetables was found higher for Pb and Cr respectively. Based on the findings of this study, there would be a significant risk to the consumers associated with consumptions of vegetables being cultivated in Gadoon Industrial Estate area of district Swabi. Therefore, strict regulatory control measures are highly recommended for the safety of vegetables originated from the study area.
Highlights
Life on earth depends on the availability of a sufficient amount of freshwater
Health risk assessment of heavy metals through consumption of vegetables irrigated with wastewater associated with consumptions of vegetables being cultivated in Gadoon Industrial Estate area of district Swabi
The concentration of Cr in wastewater and soil was found higher than the permissible limit of WHO (1996).Mean concentration of Pb (14.210 mg/kg) was found higher in cabbage, Cr (12.925 mg/kg) in cauliflower, Cd (3.110 mg/kg) in lettuce, Ni (22.70 mg/kg) in colocasia, Zn (94.81 mg/kg) and Fe (90.91 mg/kg) in green pepper, Cu (24.23 mg/kg) in red pepper and Mn (39.89 mg/kg) in spinach respectively
Summary
The estimated quantity of water on earth is about 1.4 trillion cubic meters [1]. Agriculture is mainly based upon two natural resources i.e. soil and water, deficiency in any of them will pose a threat to productivity. One estimate shows that about 20 million hectares of area in around 50 countries uses wastewater for agricultural activities and it will further enhance in near future [3,4,5,6]. Various pollutants are responsible for damages to the ecosystem but heavy metals have much importance in terms of environmental contamination [7]. Heavy metals are the main contributing pollutants because of altering the physical and chemical properties of the ecosystem [8]. The toxic level of heavy metals is not necessarily due to high exposure because uptake of heavy metals takes place continuously, crossing the permissible range in most of the cases [9]
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