Cadmium and lead in vegetable and fruit produce selected from specific regional areas of the UK

Abstract

. (2015). Cadmium and lead in vegetable and fruit produce selected from specific regional areas of the UK. The Science of the total environment, 533, 520-527. DOI: 10.1016DOI: 10. /j.scitotenv.2015 Published in: The Science of the total environment Document Version: Peer reviewed version Queen's University Belfast -Research Portal: Link to publication record in Queen's University Belfast Research Portal Publisher rights © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ which permits distribution and reproduction for non-commercial purposes, provided the author and source are cited. General rightsCopyright for the publications made accessible via the Queen's University Belfast Research Portal is retained by the author(s) and / or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing these publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. AbstractCadmium and lead were determined in fruit and vegetable produce (~1,300 samples) collected from a field and market basket study of locally grown produce from the South-West of Britain (Devon and Cornwall). These were compared with similarly locally grown produce from the North-East of Britain (Aberdeenshire). The concentrations of cadmium and lead in the market basket produce were compared to the maximum levels (ML) set by the European Union (EU). For cadmium 0.2% of the samples exceeded the ML, and 0.6% of the samples exceeded the ML for lead. The location of cadmium and lead in potatoes was performed using laser ablation ICP-MS. All tested samples exhibited higher lead concentrations, and most exhibited increased concentrations of cadmium in the potato skin compared to the flesh. The concentrations of cadmium and lead found in fruits and vegetables sampled during this study do not increase concern about risk to human health.

Regional accumulation characteristics of cadmium in vegetables: Influencing factors, transfer model and indication of soil threshold content

“…The consumption of vegetables is a probable cause of Cd exposure in several world areas including China (Hough et al, 2004;Xu et al, 2013;Norton et al, 2015). In some countries like southern Sweden and Uganda, the consumption of vegetables may contribute from 70% to 80% of the total Cd intake by humans (Nabulo et al, 2010;Swartjes et al, 2013).…”

“…This produces an inaccurate assessment of actual risks to the population (Nabulo et al, 2010;Norton et al, 2015). Predictive models factoring in environmental variables on the accumulation of Cd in crops would allow improved soil quality standards that provide a more risk-based approach to the protection of farmlands (Ding et al, 2013).…”

“…Several reports indicated the cultivation of rice and tobacco in Cd-contaminated soils leads to dangerous Cd exposures for people living in affected areas (Thomas et al, 2009;Wang et al, 2016). A conservative Cd concentration of Xu et al (2013), and Norton et al (2015). The vegetables Cd concentrations do not correlate with the paired-soil Cd contents (Fig.…”

Effect of season and proximate composition on the Br, As, Cd and Pb contents in different kinds of key foods consumed in Portugal

“…It should be noted that the EU establishes a maximum limit of 1000 µg kg −1 Cd for several seafood species, such as cephalopods (Commission Regulation, ). On the other hand, according to literature (Norton et al , ), fruit and vegetables typically display lower Cd contents in the 1–10 µg kg −1 range. Higher values were observed in some open leaf vegetables, such as chard, lettuce and spinach, with mean Cd values in the 10–50 µg kg −1 range (Norton et al , ).…”

Arabidopsis halleri shows hyperbioindicator behaviour for Pb and leaf Pb accumulation spatially separated from Zn

“…In spite of this New Phytologist importance, however, little information is available about the movement of Pb into the phytosphere and associated food webs. It has been widely accepted that Pb is poorly mobilised, a consequence of strong Pb soil persistence and poor Pb bioavailability (Zhao et al, 2004;Schreck et al, 2012;Norton et al, 2014Norton et al, , 2015Fakhri et al, 2018). The high shoot Pb concentrations observed in the field for a plant with extreme ionomic traits such as A. halleri offers an opportunity to make inroads into mechanistically understanding Pb accumulation.…”