Risk assessment of heavy metal toxicity through contaminated vegetable from sewage water: Implications for populace health |
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| Authors: | Zafar Iqbal Khan Kafeel Ahmad Muhammad Ashraf Rukhsana Parveen Fahim Arshad Abrar Hussain |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Botany, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan;2. Pakistan Science Foundation, Islamabad, Pakistan;3. Department of Botany and Microbiology, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia;4. Department of Botany, University of Education, Okara Campus, Okara, Pakistan;5. Science &6. Technological Division, University of Education, Township, Lahore, Pakistan |
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| Abstract: | The present investigation was carried out to evaluate the levels of metals and metalloids in okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) irrigated with city wastewater. Soil and vegetable samples from two different sites irrigated with wastewater were wet-digested and analyzed. Arsenic (As) was found higher at both sites and Cr was many-fold lower at both sampling sites. Among all heavy metals, Mn and Zn were abundant. Highest value of coefficient factor was found for Cr and the lowest for Cd. The high transfer value was recorded for Cu at site-I and for Ni at site-II. Copper and Se showed negative and significant correlations between soil and vegetable, whereas Mn, Zn, As, Cd, Cr, and Ni showed positive but non-significant correlations. Pollution load index in this vegetable was found to be higher for Cd and lower for Cu. Health risk index at site-I was in the order of As > Mn > Mo > Pb > Cd > Ni > Zn > Se > Fe > Co > Cr > Cu, whereas the same order was observed at site-II of the sampling locations. Thus, the health risks of metals through ingestion of vegetables were of great concern in the study area. |
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| Keywords: | metals metalloids vegetable health risk index soil Pakistan |
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