The present study was set up to investigate the effect of irrigation with naturally arsenic (As)-contaminated water and addition of organic amendments on the As accumulation in frequently consumed vegetables in India (pumpkin, radish and cabbage). An arsenic-stricken village (Ghentugachi, Chakdah Block, Nadia, West Bengal, India; 23°02'N, 88°34'E, 9.75 m a.s.l.) was selected. Pot studies were conducted with the selected vegetables in contaminated soils collected from the selected village. Arsenic-contaminated water (spiked with varying concentrations of As III and As V ) was used to irrigate the pots. Use of irrigation water contaminated with arsenic (both As III and As V ) reduced the germination and inhibited photosynthetic pigmentation. As III contamination remained more harmful. The worst situation was encountered with As III contamination at 0.5 mg/L of irrigation water while As V contamination below 0.2 mg/L of irrigation water remained safe. Field experiments with the selected vegetables were undertaken in the arsenic-stricken village where irrigation water (0.32 ± 0.12 mg/L) and soil (total As 18.15 ± 2.12 mg/kg) were contaminated with arsenic, to characterize the arsenic contamination of the vegetables, to assess the risk of dietary exposure and to study the effect of organic amendments on such contaminations. Vegetable roots accumulated more As than other parts and the accumulation increased with age. Pond (surface) water emerged as safer source for irrigation than shallow tube well water. Organic amendments reduced arsenic contamination significantly and vermicompost was the most efficient in this regard. All the vegetables showed risk (> 100% provisional tolerable weekly intake) of dietary exposure to arsenic.
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