Risk assessment of heavy metals in soils and edible parts of vegetables grown on sites contaminated by an abandoned steel plant in Havana.

Autor: Alfaro MR; Instituto de Suelos, MINAG, Autopista Costa-Costa km 8½, Capdevila, Boyeros, La Habana, Cuba., Ugarte OM; Instituto de Suelos, MINAG, Autopista Costa-Costa km 8½, Capdevila, Boyeros, La Habana, Cuba., Lima LHV; Departament of Agronomy, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Recife, PE, 52190000, Brazil., Silva JR; Departament of Agronomy, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Recife, PE, 52190000, Brazil., da Silva FBV; Departament of Agronomy, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Recife, PE, 52190000, Brazil., da Silva Lins SA; Departament of Agronomy, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Recife, PE, 52190000, Brazil., do Nascimento CWA; Departament of Agronomy, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Recife, PE, 52190000, Brazil. clistenes.nascimento@ufrpe.br.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Environmental geochemistry and health [Environ Geochem Health] 2022 Jan; Vol. 44 (1), pp. 43-56. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Sep 14.
DOI: 10.1007/s10653-021-01092-w
Abstrakt: Food production in areas contaminated by industrial wastes poses a serious risk to farmers and consumers. Here, we evaluate Cd, Cr, Ni, and Pb concentrations in the soils and the edible parts of lettuce, chives, tomatoes, pepper, and cassava plants grown by small farmers in areas contaminated by slag from an abandoned steel plant in Havana, Cuba. The total, environmentally available, and bioavailable concentrations of metals in the soils and the metals bioconcentration factor in the plants were determined. The risks to human health from food and soil ingestion were estimated. The total and environmentally available concentrations of Cd, Cr, and Pb were above values considered safe by international standards, with likely adverse effect on human health. Cadmium was the most bioavailable metal, reflected in the highest accumulation in the crops' edible parts. Even with negligible DTPA-available Cr concentrations in soils, the Cr concentrations in edible parts of the crops exceeded regulatory levels, suggesting that rhizosphere mechanisms may increase Cr availability. The consumption of vegetables represented 70% of the daily intake dose for Cr, Cd, and Ni, while accidental ingestion of contaminated soil is the predominant human exposure route for Pb. Our results demonstrated the health risks associated with cultivating and consuming vegetables grown on metal contaminated soils in Havana and can assist public policies capable of guaranteeing the sustainability of urban agriculture and food security.
(© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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