Vegetables contamination by heavy metals and associated health risk to the population in Koka area of central Ethiopia

Abstract

Contaminated soil and vegetables have continued to instigate threat to human health globally and specially in developing countries. This study was aimed to determine concentrations of certain heavy metals in soil and vegetables (cabbage and tomato) from Koka area of central Ethiopia using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrophotometer (ICP-OES). The amounts of As, Pb, Cd, Zn, Cu, Hg and Co detected in soil samples were found to surpass the reference values for agricultural soil. Similarly, the concentrations of As, Pb, Cd, Cr and Hg obtained in both tomato and cabbage samples have exceeded the recommended values with the mean levels generally ranging from 0.93–6.76, 1.80–7.26, 0.33–1.03, 0.86–5.16 and 3.23–4.36 mg/kg dry weight, respectively. The result obtained have signified that leafy vegetable has hoarded heavy metals more than non-leafy vegetable. The total hazard quote for As and Hg from tomato ingestion and for As, Hg and Co from cabbage ingestion were greater than unity, signifying potential health hazard to the public. The health index (HI) owing to tomato and cabbage ingesting were 5.44 and 14.21, respectively, signifying likely adversative health implication to the population from the ingestion of the vegetables. The Total Cancer Risk (TCR) analysis have uncovered the possible cancer hazard persuaded by Cd, Hg, As and Ni from the ingestion of both vegetables. From the outcomes this study, it can be concluded that the soil and vegetables from Koka areas are possibly contaminated with toxic metals and hence demand strict monitoring to safeguard the public around the study area and beyond.

Level of Heavy Metals and Potential Ecological Risks in Irrigated Horticultural Farms in the Vicinity of Lake Ziway, Central Ethiopian Rift Valley Region

“…As depicted in Table 4 , the findings of the current study are compared with those of other researchers in other horticultural farms located in the Central Ethiopian Rift Valley. Accordingly, the recorded values for all eight heavy metals were much higher in Modjo and Koka vegetable farms, except for Pb, as reported by Gebeyehu and Bayissa [ 48 ] and Bayissa and Gebeyehu [ 49 ]. However, Samuel et al [ 47 ] found that soils collected from vegetable farms in the Hawassa industrial zone had more or less equal values for As, lower values for Pb and Cd, and considerably higher values for Zn, Cu, Ni, and Cr than the current study.…”

Major chemical carcinogens and health exposure risks in some therapeutic herbal plants in Nigeria

“…As a result, the HI of the different metals studied was determined using Eq (3) . HI values below unity (HI < 1) signifies no significant risk of non-carcinogenic effects while HI values above unity (HI > 1) imply the probability of non-carcinogenic health risk occurring in the exposed population [ 35 , 37 ]. whereas an HI greater than 10.0 indicates a substantial chronic health impact [ 35 , 38 ].…”

“…in the exposed population [35,37]. whereas an HI greater than 10.0 indicates a substantial chronic health impact [35,38].…”

Heavy Metal Accumulation in Fruits and Vegetables and Human Health Risk Assessment: Findings From Maharashtra, India

“…Also, heavy metal contamination and public health problems are more pronounced in developing nations compared to developed ones. [37][38][39][40] Hence, human health risk assessment of heavy metals through commonly consumed vegetables and fruits is necessary. The main objectives of the study were, (1) to investigate the soil quality and selected heavy metal contamination in the study area, (2) to investigate heavy metal accumulation (Pb, Cd, As and Hg) in locally grown 24 different kinds of vegetables and fruits, and (3) to evaluate the potential health risk caused by these vegetables and fruits.…”