Abstract
The quality and safety of agricultural products from metal mining areas are of wide concern. In order to investigate the contents and health risks of trace elements in fruit vegetables planted in metal mining areas, 440 samples of fruit vegetables from 117 vegetable plots were collected from Tongling mining area. Trace element contents in fruit vegetables and soil were measured. The results indicated that the total concentration of trace elements in some of the soil samples exceeded the Grade II national standard in China. Transfer factor (TF) of Cd was the highest (8.360), followed by Zn, Cu, As, and Pb. Estimated daily intake (EDI) of the trace elements, except Cd, were generally below the maximum tolerable daily intake (MTDI). The target hazard quotient (THQ) of Zn for children was more than 1 in some vegetables, suggesting potential health hazards for child population. Total target hazard quotient (TTHQ) of Cu and Zn were also more than 1 through consumption of all vegetables, indicating significant health risks. For both adults and children, hazard index (HI) was more than 1 for the consumption of vegetables. The findings reveal the health risks associated with the consumption of trace elements through the intake of selected vegetables in the population of Tongling.
Highlights
Human health is closely related to the soil quality and especially to the degree of soil pollution [1,2], soil contamination has attracted a great deal of attention in the world
2.7%, which was slightly higher than the results reported by Xu et al [12] in the vicinity of Tongling mining area
This study indicated that mining resulted in the pollution of trace elements in the soils
Summary
Human health is closely related to the soil quality and especially to the degree of soil pollution [1,2], soil contamination has attracted a great deal of attention in the world. Vegetables, as an important part of people’s diets, contain a range of both essential and toxic elements [10,11,12,13]. Trace elements, such as Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, and As might be toxic and accumulate in the human body over a long time. Contaminated vegetables can cause serious clinical and physiological problems for humans, especially when consumed in large quantities [14]. The ingestion of Cd contaminated food can cause both chronic and acute health effects, such as bone fractures, kidney dysfunction, hypertension, and cancer [15]
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