Heavy metals and health risk assessment in vegetables grown in the vicinity of a former non-metallic facility located in Romania

Hoaghia, Maria-Alexandra; Cadar, Oana; Moisa, Corina; Roman, Cecilia; Kovács, Enikő

doi:10.1007/s11356-022-18879-8

Cited by 19 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…Even though there was no significant difference ( p > 0.05) in the mean concentrations of Ni for both lettuce and carrot across different treatments, the highest concentration of 0.33 ± 0.03 mg/kg plant dry weight was recorded for carrot from sewage sludge, and the lowest concentration of 0.17 ± 0.01 mg/kg plant dry weight was observed in lettuce from untreated soil. This result is consistent with the work of Hoaghia et al ( 2022 ) who recorded a higher concentration of Ni in carrot compared to other vegetables. Although the biological functions and nutritional value of Ni in humans are unknown, it has been recognized as an essential nutrient for some microorganisms, plants, and animal species (Song et al, 2017 ).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 93%

“…This statement directly contradicted Hadayat et al (2018), who suggested that fruit vegetables or storage organs tend to accumulate less trace metals than other tissue parts of vegetables. Furthermore, the results of Cr, Cu, Ni, and Pb (0.56, 5.20, 2.48, and 0.40 mg/kg, respectively) recorded for carrot, a root vegetable by Hoaghia et al (2022) in Romania, were higher than those of the current study for both lettuce and carrot.…”

Section: Heavy Metal Concentrations In Vegetable and Soil Samplescontrasting

confidence: 88%

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Heavy metals and potential health risk assessment of Lactuca sativa and Daucus carrota from soil treated with organic manures and chemical fertilizer

Aina,

Mugivhisa,

Olowoyo

et al. 2024

Environ Monit Assess

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The large-scale production of food crops with heavy application of chemical fertilizers in the effort to meet the astronomical increase in food demands may be counterproductive to the goal of food security. This study investigated the effect of different soil treatments on the levels of heavy metals (Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in two types of vegetables Lactuca sativa (lettuce) and Daucus carrota (carrot). The potential carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks from their consumption were also evaluated. Planting experiment was set up in a randomized block design, with different soil treatments of soil + cow dung (CD), soil + sewage sludge (SS), soil + chemical fertilizer (nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium (NPK)), and untreated soil (UNTRD). The vegetables were harvested at maturity, washed with distilled water, and subjected to an acid digestion process before the levels of heavy metals were measured by inductively coupled plasma spectrometry (ICP-MS). The mean concentrations of the metals in the vegetables across all treatments were below the maximum permissible limits. The pattern of heavy metal accumulation by the vegetables suggested that the lettuce from SS treatment accumulated higher concentrations of heavy metals like Cr (0.20 mg/kg), Cu (3.91 mg/kg), Ni (0.33 mg/kg), and Zn (20.44 mg/kg) than carrot, with highest concentrations of Fe (90.89 mg/kg) and Pb (0.16 mg/kg) recorded in lettuce from NPK treatment. The bioaccumulation factor (BAF) showed that lettuce, a leafy vegetable, has bioaccumulated more heavy metals than carrot, a root vegetable. The BAF was generally below the threshold value of 1 in both vegetables, except in lettuce from NPK and CD treatments and carrot from NPK treatments, with BAF values of 1.6, 1.69, and 1.39, respectively. The cancer risk assessment factors were well below the unacceptable maximum range of 10−4 suggesting that consuming these vegetables might not expose an individual to potential risk of cancer development. The hazard quotient estimations were below the threshold values of 1 for all heavy metals; however, the hazard index (HI) values of 1.27 and 1.58 for lettuce from NPK and SS treatments indicate a potential non-carcinogenic health risk to consumers from intake of all the heavy metals.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Heavy Metal Concentrations In Vegetable and Soil Samplescontrasting

confidence: 88%

Heavy metals and potential health risk assessment of Lactuca sativa and Daucus carrota from soil treated with organic manures and chemical fertilizer

Aina,

Mugivhisa,

Olowoyo

et al. 2024

Environ Monit Assess

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“…In the last years, various studies indicated severe pollution in multiple environments caused by intensive industrialization, mining, agricultural practices, and poor management of city waste in Romania [46], which increased the susceptibility of foodstuff affected by pollution [47]. Even if lead did not exceed the recommended limit, it had high concentrations in all essential oils, especially in Mentha × pipperita L., reaching a maximum in the M6 sample with plant origins in Romania (Table 1).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the Health Risk and the Metal Content of Thirty-Four Plant Essential Oils Using the ICP-MS Technique

et al. 2022

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Natural ecosystems are polluted with various contaminants, and among these heavy metals raise concerns due to their side effects on both environment and human health. An investigation was conducted on essential oil samples, comparing similar products between seven producers, and the results indicated a wide variation of metal content. The recommended limits imposed by European Union regulations for medicinal plants are exceeded only in Mentha × pipperita (Adams, 0.61 mg/kg). Except for Thymus vulgaris, the multivariate analysis showed a strong correlation between toxic and microelements (p < 0.001). We verified plant species–specific bioaccumulation patterns with non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis. The model showed that Adams, Doterra, Hypericum, and Steaua Divina essential oils originated from plants containing high micro and macroelement (Cu, Mn, Mg, Na) levels. We noted that the cancer risk values for Ni were the highest (2.02 × 10−9–7.89 × 10−7). Based on the target hazard quotient, three groups of elements were associated with a possible risk to human health, including As, Hg, and Cd in the first group, Cr, Mn, Ni, and Co in the second, and Zn and Al in the third. Additionally, the challenge of coupling inter-element relationships through a network plot analysis shows a considerable probability of associating toxic metals with micronutrients, which can address cumulative risks for human consumers.

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“…Due to their persistent bioaccumulation characteristics, micro-and macroelements from surface waters are eventually adsorbed in sediments and bioaccumulate, causing toxic effects even at locations distant from the source of contamination [56]. Studies have shown that heavy metals, such as Cu, Cd, Pb, and Zn, accumulate in soil and transfer to vegetables cultivated in areas in the proximity of abandoned ore-processing facilities, entering the food chain and exposing the population to potential health risks, such as cancer [57]. The average concentration of metals in sediments showed the following trend: Al > Fe > Ca > Mg > K > Mn > Na > Zn > Cu > Pb > Ni > Cr > As > Cd > Hg (Figure 4).…”

Section: Surface Soils and Sedimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Metal Contents and Pollution Indices Assessment of Surface Water, Soil, and Sediment from the Arieș River Basin Mining Area, Romania

et al. 2022

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The current study was conducted to assess the level and spatial distribution of metal pollution in surface water, soil, and sediment samples from the Arieș River basin, located in central Romania, an area impacted by various mining and industrial operations. Several pollution indices, spatial distributions, cluster analyses, principal component analyses, and heat maps were applied for evaluating the contamination level with Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, Mn, As, and Hg in the area. Based on the results of the Heavy-Metal Pollution Index and of the Heavy-Metal Evaluation Index of the surface-water samples, the middle part of the Arieș River basin, near and downstream of the gold mine impoundment, was characterized by high pollution levels. The metal concentration was higher near the tailing impoundment, with increased levels of Cu, Ni, Zn, and Pb in the soil samples and As, Cd, Pb, Na, K, Ca, Mn, and Al in the sediment samples. Ca (23.7–219 mg/L), Mg (2.55–18.30 mg/L), K (0.64–14.70 mg/L), Al (0.06–22.80 mg/L), and Mn (0.03–22.40 mg/L) had the most remarkable spatial variation among the surface-water samples, while various metal contents fluctuated strongly among the sampling locations. Al varied from 743 to 19,8 mg/kg, Fe from 529 to 11,4 mg/kg, Ca from 2316 to 11,8 mg/kg, and Mg from 967 to 2547 mg/kg in the soil samples, and Al varied from 3106 to 8022 mg/kg, Fe from 314 to 5982 mg/kg, Ca from 1367 to 8308 mg/kg, and Mg from 412 to 1913 mg/kg in the sediment samples. The Potential Ecological Risk Index values for soil and sediments were in the orders Cu > Ni > Pb > Hg > Cr > As > Mn > Zn > Cd and As > Cu > Cr > Cd > Pb > Ni > Hg > Mn > Zn, respectively, and the highest values were found around the gold mine impoundment.

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Heavy metals and health risk assessment in vegetables grown in the vicinity of a former non-metallic facility located in Romania

Cited by 19 publications

References 56 publications

Heavy metals and potential health risk assessment of Lactuca sativa and Daucus carrota from soil treated with organic manures and chemical fertilizer

Heavy metals and potential health risk assessment of Lactuca sativa and Daucus carrota from soil treated with organic manures and chemical fertilizer

Assessing the Health Risk and the Metal Content of Thirty-Four Plant Essential Oils Using the ICP-MS Technique

Metal Contents and Pollution Indices Assessment of Surface Water, Soil, and Sediment from the Arieș River Basin Mining Area, Romania

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