Heavy metal (Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb) contamination of vegetables in urban India: A case study in Varanasi

The contributions of heavy metals in selected vegetables through atmospheric deposition were quantified in an urban area of India. Deposition rate of Zn was recorded maximum followed by Cu, Cd and Pb. The concentrations of Zn and Cu were highest in Brassica oleracea, Cd in Abelmoschus esculentus and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental pollution (1987) 2008-07, Vol.154 (2), p.254-263
Main Authors: Sharma, Rajesh Kumar, Agrawal, Madhoolika, Marshall, Fiona M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abelmoschus esculentus
Air Pollutants - analysis
Air. Soil. Water. Waste. Feeding
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Applied ecology
atmospheric deposition
Atmospheric depositions
Beta vulgaris
Biological and medical sciences
Brassica oleracea
cadmium
Cadmium - analysis
cauliflower
chard
Cities
Commerce
copper
Copper - analysis
Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution
Environment. Living conditions
Environmental Monitoring - methods
Food Contamination
food marketing
food safety
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
General aspects
Health risk
Heavy metal pollution index
Heavy metals
India
lead
Lead - analysis
Medical sciences
Metals, Heavy - analysis
okra
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Risk Assessment - methods
surface area
surface roughness
urban areas
Vegetables
Vehicle Emissions
zinc
Zinc - analysis
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Summary:The contributions of heavy metals in selected vegetables through atmospheric deposition were quantified in an urban area of India. Deposition rate of Zn was recorded maximum followed by Cu, Cd and Pb. The concentrations of Zn and Cu were highest in Brassica oleracea, Cd in Abelmoschus esculentus and B. oleracea, while Pb was highest in Beta vulgaris. Heavy metal pollution index showed that B. oleracea was maximally contaminated with heavy metals followed by A. esculentus and then B. vulgaris. The results of washing showed that atmospheric deposition has contributed to the increased levels of heavy metals in vegetables. Both Cu and Cd posed health risk to local population via test vegetables consumption, whereas Pb posed the same only through B. oleracea. The study concludes that atmospheric depositions can elevate the levels of heavy metals in vegetables during marketing having potential health hazards to consumers. Atmospheric depositions can significantly increase the heavy metal concentrations in vegetables during marketing.
ISSN:0269-7491
1873-6424
DOI:10.1016/j.envpol.2007.10.010