scholarly journals Determination of Concentration of Heavy Metals in Fruits, Vegetables, Groundwater, and Soil Samples of the Cement Industry and Nearby Communities and Assessment of Associated Health Risks

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Ghazala Yaqub ◽  
Arooj Khan ◽  
Muhammad Zishan Ahmad ◽  
Umadia Irshad

This study was conducted to estimate the heavy metal pollution in groundwater, soil, fruits, and vegetables within the cement industry and its vicinity. Seven different fruits and vegetables and seven heavy metals (Cd, Zn, Ni, Co, Cu, Cr, and Mn) were selected for analysis in soil, groundwater, fruit, and vegetable samples by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). Results of this study were compared with the National and International Standards of Pak NSWQD, WHO, and USEPA. The pH of soil and groundwater samples was within limits (WHO and Pak NSDWQ standards are 6.5–8.5). The concentration of Cr and Cu in groundwater samples was above the WHO and Pak NSDWQ standards (Cr = 0.05 ppm; Cu = 2 ppm). Vegetable samples were contaminated with metals except for Ni and Mn, whereas, in fruit samples, Mn and Cd were not present (WHO limit for Mn = 5 ppm). The mean concentration of Ni was high in fruits (WHO limit = 10 ppm), Zn was high in vegetables (WHO limit = 100 ppm), and Cu was high in soil and groundwater (WHO limit for soil = 36 ppm; for groundwater = 2 ppm). The results of daily intake of metals (DIM) for fruits, vegetables, and groundwater were compared with TDI by USEPA and PTDI of the WHO/FAO, and all were within the recommended limits. Calculated BAF for the selected environmental sample, that is, Indian Squash, lime fruit, and so on, was in order of Co > Cr > Cu and THQ; HRI was calculated to estimate the human health risk, and they were in a trend of Ni > Co > Cd > Cr and for HRI Co > Cr.

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uchechi Bliss Onyedikachi ◽  
Donatus Chuka Belonwu ◽  
Mattew Owhonda Wegwu

Abstract In view of ensuring healthy agricultural foods for human consumption, this study assessed the human health risk implicated in selected heavy metals in some commonly consumed vegetables, tubers, nuts and fruits grown around the quarry sites at Ishiagu, Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Samples from agriculture area of Umudike, Abia State, Nigeria, constituted the control. The concentration of Mn, Zn, Fe, Cu, Cd, and Pb, were determined using atomic absorption spectrometry. The potential non-carcinogenic health risk for consumers which included Estimated Daily Intake (EDI) and Target Hazard Quotients (THQ) for Pb, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cd and Cu while carcinogenic health risk using Cancer Slope Factors (CSF) was established for Cd and Pb. Relative abundance of heavy metals across the locations and all samples was in the order Fe > Mn > Zn > Pb > Cu > Cd. There was statistical significant effect of quarrying activities on the concentration of the heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Zn, Pb, Cu, Cd) at p < 0.05 level. Based on the observed bioconcentration factors, cassava showed more hyperaccumulation potential compared to other samples. Pumpkin and bitter leaf also could be used in remediation owing to their high bioaccumulation index for Pb and Zn. THQ obtained for Mn and Pb were >1 indicating that the residents at the quarry site may be exposed to potential non-carcinogenic health risk due to Mn and Pb intoxication. With respect to US EPA prescriptions, average carcinogenic risk values obtained for Pb and Cd in this study indicated a lifetime (70 years) probability of contracting cancer suggesting that they be placed for further consideration as chemicals of concern with respect to the assessed locals.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. M. M. Anwarul Hasan ◽  
Anuj Kumer Das ◽  
Mohammed A. Satter

Abstract This study investigated the levels of Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in vegetables and fruits from local markets of Dhaka, Bangladesh using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) and analyzed the possible health risks of peoples through consumption of those fruits and vegetables. A total of 100 vegetables and 100 fruits samples were analyzed and 45% of vegetable samples and 40% of fruit samples were found to be contaminated with OCPs residues. Aldrin, p,p-DDE, Cis-Chordane, p,p-DDT, Endrin, α-Endosulfan and Lindane-I were detected in vegetable samples while Aldrin, p,p-DDE, p,p-DDT, α-Endosulfan and Lindane-I were detected in fruit samples. The HI values of Aldrin, p,p-DDE, Cis-Chordane, p,p-DDT, Endrin, α-Endosulfan and Lindane-I in vegetables were 0.109, 0.006, 0.396, 0.008, 0.153, 0.882 and 0.019 respectively while HI values of Aldrin, p,p-DDE, p,p-DDT, α-Endosulfan and Lindane-I in fruit samples were 0.0155, 0.0005, 0.0002, 0.0339, 0.0019 respectively. The average concentration of detected OCPs residues were below the FAO’s recommended maximum residue limits (MRL). It is therefore concluded that, even though OCPs residues are within the maximum tolerance range but continuous accumulation in consumer body through consumption of such vegetables and fruits may lead to chronic effects that could be fatal.


Author(s):  
Ebimobowei Assayomo ◽  
Solomon Brepi Patrick ◽  
Ruth Angobrakumor Ajimmy ◽  
Eyidenghabofa David Odikeme ◽  
Ahiakwo Bright Ogbo

Aims: Man-made activities such as excessive oil exploration, automobile emissions, gas flaring and agricultural activities tend to elevate the concentrations of heavy metals in the surrounding. Heavy metals have the tendency to accumulate in plant roots, which may result to heavy metal contamination. Objectives: This study aimed at evaluating the concentration of heavy metals such as Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd), Nickel and Zinc (Zn) in Pawpaw fruits, seeds, leaf and Scent leaf from Amosoma community in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. The concentrations of these metals were used to assess the human health risk melted to the consumers of the vegetables and fruits. Materials and Methods: Sixteen different vegetables and fruit samples comprising of Pawpaw and Scent leaves were digested and analyzed for heavy metals using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (F-AAS). Results: The result of the present study reviewed that Pb, Cd, Ni, and Zn ranged from 1.090 ± 0.01 - 5.990 ± 0.06; 0.213 ± 0.03 - 1.317 ± 0.02; 2.810 ± 0.04 - 4.767 ± 0.09; and 0.793 ± 0.01 -5.303 ± 0.02 mg/kg, respectively. The concentrations of Pb, Cd, and Ni in some of the analyzed pawpaw and scent leaf samples exceeded the permissible limit as recommended by WHO/FAO, EC/CODEX and NAFDAC respectively. The concentrations of Zn were below the permissible limit as recommended by WHO/FAO. The Estimated Daily Intake (EDI) of Pb and Cd exceeded the oral reference dose (RfDo) however; Ni and Zn fall within the oral RfDo. The Target Hazard Quotient (THQ) and Hazard Index (HI) values of Pb, Cd, Ni and Zn were less than 1. The Carcinogenic Risk (CR) of Cd and Ni exceeded the range of permissible predicted lifetime risks for carcinogens as recommended by US EPA, meanwhile, the carcinogenic risk of Pb was within the permissible predicted lifetime risks as recommended by USEPA. Conclusion: The result from the present study indicate that the fruits and leaves from pawpaw and scent leaf may be contaminated with Pb, Cd, and Ni and the exposed population may be at risk of developing cancer due to carcinogenic ingestion of Cd and Ni over time.


Author(s):  
Ahiakwo Bright Ogbo ◽  
Kingsley C. Patrick-Iwuanyanwu

Background: Anthropogenic activities such as excessive oil exploration, automobile emissions with agricultural activities, etc tend to elevate the concentrations of heavy metals in the soil. These metals are accumulated by plant roots, thereby resulting to heavy metal contamination of such plants. Objectives: This study evaluated the concentration of heavy metals namely: Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd), Nickel (Ni), Arsenic (As), Iron (Fe), and Copper (Cu) in edible vegetables from selected communities in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area (ONELGA), Rivers State, Nigeria, and the concentrations of these metals were used to assess the human health risk posed to the consumers of the edible vegetables. Materials and Methods: Sixteen different vegetable samples comprising Vernonia amygdalina, Talinum triangulare, Abelmoschus esculentus and Telfairia occidentalis were digested and analyzed for heavy metals using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (F-AAS). Results obtained from this study were used to estimate the human health risk of these heavy metals. Results: The results showed that the concentrations of Pb, Cd, Ni, As, Fe, and Cu ranged from 0.168-4.908; 0.364-2.977; 2.780-10.241; 0.157-2.633; 61.589-101.520 and 12.029-46.540 mg/kg, respectively. The concentrations of Pb, Cd, Ni and As in some of the analyzed vegetable samples exceeded the permissible limit as recommended by WHO/FAO, EC/CODEX and NAFDAC respectively. The concentration of Fe and Cu were below the permissible limit as recommended by WHO/FAO. The Estimated Daily Intake (EDI) of Pb and Cd exceeded the permissible tolerable daily intake of metals (TDI) but fall within the upper tolerable daily intake (UTDI) recommended by Institute of medicine, FDA, also Ni, Fe, and Cu fall within the recommended TDI and the UTDI. The EDI values of As exceeded the recommended TDI and the UTDI. The Target Hazard Quotient (THQ) and Hazard Index (HI) values of Pb, Cd, Cu and Ni were greater than 1. The Life Cancer Risk (LCR) of Pb were within the range of permissible predicted lifetime risks for carcinogens as recommended by US EPA. Conclusion: The result from the present study indicate that the exposed population may be at risk of Pb, Cd, Ni and Cu toxicity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Monika Rusin ◽  
Joanna Domagalska ◽  
Danuta Rogala ◽  
Mehdi Razzaghi ◽  
Iwona Szymala

AbstractChemical contamination of foods pose a significant risk to consumers. A source of this risk is due to the consumption of products contaminated with heavy metals such as cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb). The aim of the study was to research the levels of Cd and Pb contamination of selected species of vegetables and fruits in the form of fresh, frozen, dried and processed products. The goal was to verify which of these food groups was more contaminated with heavy metals. The study covered 370 samples of fruits and vegetables including apples, pears, grapes, raspberries, strawberries, cranberries, as well as beetroots, celeries, carrots and tomatoes. The content of Cd and Pb was determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. Quantitative results were analyzed using statistical models: analysis of variance, outlier analysis, post-hoc multiple comparison Tukey test. The tests showed that the levels of Cd and Pb concentration in samples of fresh, processed, frozen and dried fruits and vegetables varied substantially. The highest concentrations were recorded in dried products. Several fruit and vegetable samples exceeded the maximum permissible concentrations of Cd and Pb. The contamination of these products could be a significant source of consumer exposure to heavy metals when these products are a part of the diet.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 239784732098525
Author(s):  
Keneth Iceland Kasozi ◽  
Eric Oloya Otim ◽  
Herbert Izo Ninsiima ◽  
Gerald Zirintunda ◽  
Andrew Tamale ◽  
...  

Background: Environmental contamination with elevated levels of copper (Cu), cobalt (Co), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr6+), cadmium (Cd), and nickel (Ni)—all states of which are found in Uganda—raises health risk to the public. Pb, Cr6+, Cd, and Ni for instance are generally considered nonessential to cellular functions, notwithstanding the importance of the oxidative state of the metals in bioavailability. As such, we aimed in this study (i) to evaluate heavy metal concentrations in four vegetables from a typical open-air market in Uganda, (ii) to assess the safety of consuming these vegetables against the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended limits of heavy metals consumption, and (iii) to formulate a model of estimated daily intake (EDI) among consumers in the country. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in five georeferenced markets of Bushenyi district in January 2020. Amaranthus, cabbages, scarlet eggplants, and tomatoes were collected from open markets, processed, and analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometry. Modeled EDI, principal component (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) were conducted to identify relationships in the samples. Results: The levels of essential elements in the four vegetables were found to fall from Co > Cu > Fe > Zn. Those of non-essential metals were significantly higher and followed the pattern Cd > Cr > Pb > Ni. The highest EDI values were those of Cu in scarlet eggplants, Zn in amaranthus, Fe in amaranthus, Co in amaranthus, Pb in cabbages, total Cr in scarlet eggplant, Cd in cabbages and tomatoes, and Ni in cabbages. In comparison to international limits, EDIs for Zn, Cu, Co and Fe were low while Ni in cabbages were high. PCA showed high variations in scarlet eggplant and amaranthus. The study vegetables were found to be related with each other, not according to the location of the markets from where they were obtained, but according to their species by CA. Conclusion: The presence of non-essential elements above WHO limits raises policy challenges for the consumption and marketing of vegetables in the study area. Furthermore, low EDIs of essential elements in the vegetables create demand for nutritious foods to promote healthy communities.


2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 331-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Hamid ◽  
A Mushtaq ◽  
R Nazir ◽  
S Asghar

Heavy metals contamination of fruits and vegetables as a consequence of wastewater irrigation is most important concern today. Present study measures heavy metals concentration (Cr, Cu and Pb) in soil and vegetable samples collected from agriculture area around four major drains of Lahore (Hudiara drain, BabuSabu drain, Chota Ravi drain and Kharak drain). Results show that concentration of Cu, Cr and Pb in soil samples were in compliance with WHO and EU standards, with an average of 2.221 ± 1.184, 5.314 ± 1.0511 and 3.864 ± 1.6095 mg/kg respectively. Cu content in vegetables ranged from 0.4-18.9 mg/Kg (average of 4.11 ± 6.639 mg/kg), was within limits while Cr in Lady Finger, from Chota Ravi drain area, was 13.2 mg/Kg which is higher than permissible limit (2.4 mg/Kg). While Pb concentration in vegetables samples varied between 0.7 -8.1 mg/Kg (Mean 2.329 ± 2.592 mg/kg), which was also higher than the standard (0.3 mg/Kg).Bangladesh J. Sci. Ind. Res. 52(4), 331-336, 2017


Water SA ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (2 April) ◽  
Author(s):  
Babra Moyo ◽  
Vhahangwele Matodzi ◽  
Malebogo A Legodi ◽  
Vusumzi E Pakade ◽  
Nikita T Tavengwa

The accumulation of heavy metals such as Cd, Mn and Ni was investigated in seven different vegetables, fruits and soil samples from Thohoyandou, Limpopo Province, South Africa. Heavy metals were quantified using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. Concentrations of heavy metals in fruits and vegetables were in the range of 0.23–2.94 mg∙kg-1 for Cd, 11.72–50.16 mg∙kg-1 for Mn and 5.73 – 44.11 mg∙kg-1 for Ni on a dry weight basis. Analysis of soils from where fruits and vegetables were sampled showed that Cd in the soil was in the range of 0.08–1.07 mg∙kg-1, Mn levels were 204.99–249.13 mg∙kg-1 and Ni levels were 48.47–88.23 mg∙kg-1. Cd was below the instrument detection limit for soils on which onions and bananas were grown. Vegetables showed different accumulation abilities, with leafy vegetables being the highest accumulators of heavy metals. The obtained results showed that concentrations of Cd in fruits, vegetables and soils exceeded the recommended maximum acceptable levels proposed by FAO/WHO and, hence, may pose a health risk to consumers. Ni concentrations in bananas, onion, beetroot, spinach and Chinese cabbage exceeded recommended standards by FAO/WHO.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miebaka Moslen ◽  
Chioma Hope Adiela

The study assessed human health risk and accumulation of heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Pb, Ni, Cr and Zn) in periwinkles (Tympanotonus fuscatus) obtained from the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Samples were collected for six months on a monthly basis. The samples were digested according to the method described by Association of official analytical chemists and analyzed using atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). Temporal variations in metal concentrations were observed with values (mgkg−1) ranging as follows Pb (2.34–6.7), Ni (0.55–2.28), Zn (0.55–11.66), Cr (0.74–3.65), Cu (1.15–3.91) and Cd (0.22–1.06). Variation in metal concentration was significantly different (p < 0.05) with metals such as Pb, Ni and Cd found to be above their respective FAO/WHO permissible limits. The estimated daily intake (EDI) of all metals examined was less than their respective reference oral doses (RFD). The target hazard quotient (THQ) non-carcinogenic and the hazard index (HI) of metals were < 1 while the hazard quotient carcinogenic (HQ) ranged between 10−6 – 10−4. The study therefore concluded gradual accumulation of metals and minimal health risk due to consumption of contaminated periwinkles in the study area.


Foods ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1906
Author(s):  
Joanna Bielecka ◽  
Renata Markiewicz-Żukowska ◽  
Patryk Nowakowski ◽  
Monika Grabia ◽  
Anna Puścion-Jakubik ◽  
...  

Background: Rice is one of the most commonly consumed grains. It could be a good source of nutrients in a diet, but its consumption could also contribute to exposure to toxic elements. All rice products available on the Polish market are imported, which may pose a particular concern as to the safety of their consumption. The aim of our study was to estimate the content of As, Cd, Pb, and Hg in rice products and to assess the health risk indicators related to exposure to toxic elements consumed with rice products among the adult population in Poland. Methods: A total of 99 samples from 12 groups of rice products (basmati, black, brown, parboiled, red, wild, white rice and expanded rice, rice flakes, flour, pasta, and waffles) available in the Polish market were obtained. The content of Hg was determined using the atomic absorption spectrometry method (AAS). To measure As, Cd, and Pb, inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used. The health risk was assessed by calculating several indicators. Results: The average As, Cd, Pb, and Hg contents in all studied products were 123.5 ± 77.1 μg/kg, 25.7 ± 26.5 μg/kg, 37.5 ± 29.3 μg/kg, and 2.8 ± 2.6 μg/kg, respectively. Exceedance of the limit established by the Polish National Food Safety Standard was observed in one sample as regards the As content and exceedance of the European Commission standard in two samples for Hg. The samples of foods imported from European markets (n = 27) had statistically higher As content (p < 0.05) than those imported from Asian countries (n = 53). The values of health risk indicators did not show an increased risk for the Polish adult population. However, the daily intake of 55 g of rice corresponds to the benchmark dose lower confidence limit (BMDL) for Pb. Conclusion: The studied rice products could be regarded as safe for consumption by the Polish population as far as the content of As, Cd, Pb, and Hg is concerned.


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