Monitoring and Risk Characteristics of Heavy Metals in Agricultural Products in Qom, Iran
Ahmad Reza Yari
1
(
Research Center for Environmental Pollutants, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran
)
Yadollah Ghafuri
2
(
Research Center for Environmental Pollutants, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran
)
Rahim Aali
3
(
Research Center for Environmental Pollutants, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran
)
Keywords: Heavy Metals, Monitoring, Risk, Qom,
Abstract :
Considering the high consumption of agricultural and greenhouse fruits in the city of Qom, and the lack of study records, this research for monitoring of Heavy metals in agricultural and greenhouse products and conduct of human health risk assessment was carried . This study was designed and conducted in two stage. In the first stage, two categories’ of agricultural products including vegetables (lettuce, tomatoes, onion and potatoes) and greenhouse products (cucumbers, tomato, bell pepper) were selected and after sample preparation and extraction, the amounts of heavy metals was measured with the atomic absorption device. In the second stage, exposure risk assessment of heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Cr, Hg, and As) were investigated. The finding of the research revealed that the measured concentrations of heavy metals in agricultural products as well as greenhouse products compared to the maximum allowed values of heavy metals in agricultural products in the Iranian Standards Institute are higher in 35% of the evaluated samples. Health risk assessment results of this study indicated that hazard index (HI) for agricultural and greenhouse products is lower than 1(HI ˂1), therefore, it is estimated that the non-cancer risk of consuming these products is negligible according to the exposure pattern and consumption level. Moreover, the cancer risk (Σ CR) calculated for age groups of childhood (1-6) by consumption of onion, tomato and lettuce products was higher than the estimated acceptable limits (the acceptable level of 1 case per 100000). Considering the wide trend of using agricultural products in Iran and especially in the city of Qom, as well as the risk of carcinogenesis is higher than the acceptable limits, Continuous monitoring of heavy metal levels in products as well as in water and soil resources used in crop cultivation is inevitable.
1. Amarloei A., Mirzaei SA, Noorimotlagh Z., Nazmara S., Nourmoradi H., Fard N.J., Heidari M., Mohammadi-Moghadam F., Mazloomi S.,2023. Human health risk assessment of toxic heavy metals in summer crops and vegetables: a study in Ilam Province, Iran. Journal of Environmental Health Science and Engineering. 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2583772/v1
2. Afrin S., Alam M.K., Ahmed M.W., Parven A., Jubayer M.F., Megharaj M., Meftaul I.M., Khan M.S.,2021. Determination and probabilistic health risk assessment of heavy metals in widely consumed market basket fruits from Dhaka city Bangladesh. International Journal of Environmental Analytical Chemistry. 29, 1-6.
3. Mansour S.A., 2014.Monitoring and health risk assessment of heavy metal contamination in food. Practical Food Safety: Contemporary Issues and Future Directions. 19, 235-55.
4. Budi H.S., Catalan Opulencia M.J., Afra A., Abdelbasset W.K., Abdullaev D., Majdi A., Taherian M., Ekrami H.A., Mohammadi M.,2024. Source, toxicity and carcinogenic health risk assessment of heavy metals. Reviews on Environmental Health. 39(1), 77-90.
5. Kim J.Y., Lee J.H., Kunhikrishnan A., Kang D.W., Kim M.J., Yoo J.H., Kim D.H., Lee Y.J., Kim WI,2012. Transfer factor of heavy metals from agricultural soil to agricultural products. Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture. 31(4), 300-7.
6. Laboni F.A., Ahmed M.W., Kaium A., Alam M.K., Parven A., Jubayer M.F., Rahman M.A., Meftaul IM, Khan MS,2023. Heavy metals in widely consumed vegetables grown in industrial areas of Bangladesh: a potential human health hazard. Biological Trace Element Research. 201(2), 995-1005.
7. Ghafuri Y., Yunesian M., Nabizadeh R., Mesdaghinia A., Dehghani M., Alimohammadi M., 2017. Correction to: environmental risk assessment of platinum cytotoxic drugs: a focus on toxicity characterization of hospital effluents. Int J Environ Sci. Technol. 14(12), 2783.
8. American Herbal Products Association, 2009. Heavy metal analysis and interim recommended limits for botanical dietary supplements: white paper. Silver Spring, MD: AHPA. 1-37.
9. United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), 2011. Integrated Risk Information System: Frequent Questions. Available online: http://www.epa.gov/iris/help_ques.htm (accessed on 4 July 2011).
10. Kim J.Y., Lee J.H., Kunhikrishnan A., Kang D.W., Kim M.J., Yoo J.H., Kim D.H., Lee Y.J., Kim W.I., 2012. Transfer factor of heavy metals from agricultural soil to agricultural products. Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture. 31(4), 300-7
11. Tabatabaiee A., Ansari S., Eskandary S., Tabatabaiee A.,2017. Investigation of Lead and cadmium contamination in some of agricultural crops. Journal of Environmental Science Studies. 1(3), 69-77.
12. Dong Z., Liu Y., Duan L, Bekele D., Naidu R., 2015. Uncertainties in human health risk assessment of environmental contaminants: a review and perspective. Environment international. 85, 120-32.
13. ISIRI, 2010. Food and feed-maximum limit of heavy metals. Inst Stand Ind Res Iran. 12968:15.
14. Ahadi Z., Heshmat R., Sanaei M., Shafiee G., Ghaderpanahi M., Homami M.R., 2014.Knowledge, attitude and practice of urban and rural households towards principles of nutrition in Iran: results of NUTRIKAP survey. J Diabetes Metab Disord. 13(1),1.
15. Baghaie A., Keshavarzi M., 2019. Health risk assessment of heavy metals (Cd and Pb) in greenhouse products harvested from greenhouses around Irankooh mine in 2017. Journal of Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences. 26(3), 293-302.
16. Taghipour H., Mosaferi M., 2013. Heavy metals in the vegetables collected from production sites. Health promotion perspectives. 3(2), 185.
17. Arfaeinia H., Ranjbar -Vakil Abadi D., Seifi M., Asadgol Z., Hashemi S.E.,2016. Study of concentrations and risk assessment of heavy metals resulting from the consumption of agriculture product in different farms of Dayyer City, Bushehr. ISMJ. 19(5), 839-54.
18. Zafarzadeh A., Rahimzadeh H., Mahvi A.H., 2018. Health risk assessment of heavy metals in vegetables in an endemic esophageal cancer region in Iran. Health Scope. 7(3), e12340.
19. Kharazi A., Leili M., Khazaei M., Alikhani M.Y., Shokoohi R., 2021. Human health risk assessment of heavy metals in agricultural soil and food crops in Hamadan, Iran. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis. 100, 103890.
20. Adedokun A.H., Njoku K.L., Akinola M.O., Adesuyi A.A., Jolaoso A.O., 2016. Potential human health risk assessment of heavy metals intake via consumption of some leafy vegetables obtained from four market in Lagos Metropolis, Nigeria. Journal of Applied Sciences and Environmental Management. 20(3), 530-9.
21. Sultana M.S., Rana S., Yamazaki S., Aono T., Yoshida S.,2017. Health risk assessment for carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic heavy metal exposures from vegetables and fruits of Bangladesh. Cogent Environmental Science. 3 (1), 1291107.
22. Amerian, M., 2023. "Risk Assessment of Nitrate and Heavy Metals Consumption through Selected Greenhouse Crops on Human Health." Journal of Human Environment and Health Promotion. 9(4), 193-200.
23. Bulbul H.N., LEBLEBICI Z., 2024. Monitoring and assessment of heavy metal transfer from soil to Beta vulgaris L. (sugar beet) in Kayseri, Turkey.