Investigating the uptake and acquisition of potentially toxic elements in plants and health risks associated with the addition of fresh biowaste amendments to industrially contaminated soil

Abstract

Soil contamination by potentially toxic elements (PTEs), due to rapid industrialization and urbanization, is a serious environmental concern that has been threatening both the sustainability of various agroecosystems and human health. Efforts to investigate the bioavailability, transfer, and accumulation of PTEs in the soil–plant system and their possible health consequences have almost exclusively focused in the past studies. However, there is limited evidence for increased human exposure to PTEs through dietary intake of food crop grown on contaminated soil influenced by fresh biowaste amendments (FBAs). Here, we show that FBAs addition to soil markedly (p ≤ .01) intensified human exposure to PTEs through impacts on solubility, uptake, and bioaccumulation compared with the control. In general, the risk assessment performed indicated that the hazard index values for FBAs treatments were notably higher than that of control; however, these were shown to be less than the legal limit (<1). In addition, the lifetime risks of developing carcinogenicity from exposure to PTEs were far above the maximum regulatory limits (1.00E‐06), indicating that remarkable (p ≤ .01) amount of PTEs was transferred to food with the addition of FBAs. Conclusively, these results suggest that the use of FBAs to contaminated soil aggravates health risks of PTEs through wheat consumption. Further studies, which incorporate the in vitro gastrointestinal bioaccessibility, should be conducted to heighten our understanding about PTEs exposure and the risks associated with FBAs addition to contaminated soil.

The influence of various organic amendments on the bioavailability and plant uptake of cadmium present in mine-degraded soil

“…The increase in translocation of Cd to fruits was in agreement with the findings of Pinto et al (2004a, 2004b), while, in another study Pinto et al (2005) reported an increase in Cd translocation with organic matter amendment in sorghum. Similarly Yousaf et al (2017) also reported an increase in translocation of Cd by wheat plant with the application of fresh biowastes. The increase in translocation of Cd might be due to changes in soil pH, because it is a key factor affecting the mobility and bioavailability of Cd, which are negatively correlated with soil pH (Chaudri et al, 2007; Liu et al, 2015).…”

Alleviation of cadmium phytotoxicity to wheat is associated with Cd re-distribution in soil aggregates as affected by amendments

“…24,29 In addition, the lowest available Cd concentration in HS treatment is also attributed to its relatively high CEC and soil OC (Table 1), as a signicantly negative correlation between soil available Cd and CEC as well as OC was reported. 30,31 Similarly, electrostatic attraction also occurs between anions like Cd and the negatively charged surface of BC and its functional groups (e.g. phenol hydroxyl, carboxyl, and carbonyl groups).…”

Mitigation of Cadmium Induced Oxidative Stress by Using Organic Amendments to Improve the Growth and Yield of Mash Beans [Vigna mungo (L.)]

“…The application of SPM and CM reduced the Cd uptake (Table 3) which protected the photosynthetic apparatus from the damaging effects of Cd [7,73], resulting in a significant increase in photosynthetic pigments (Table 1). Moreover, OA had beneficial impacts on soil characteristics, and improve root growth, nutrient and water uptake and reduce the Cd uptake (Table 3) which also favors a significant increase in the synthesis of photosynthetic pigments [74].…”