In India, several (>50) vegetables are widely used as food due to their high nutrition values. However, vegetables in industrial area are getting contaminated with heavy metals by disturbing biological and biochemical processes in the human body. In present study, the risk of human health by heavy metals (Fe, As, Cr, Mn, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd and Hg) through the intake of common vegetables i.e. Solanum lycopersicum, Solanum melongena, Amaranthus tricolor L., Chenopodium album L., Spinacia oleracea and Coriandrum sativum obtained from the largest coal burning basin, Korba, India is described. The concentration of Fe, As, Cr, Mn, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb and Hg in the soils (n = 6) was ranged from 18,

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Two major issues, i.e. large crop productions and huge anthropogenic activities (e.g. fuel burning and mineral roasting) disturb the micronutrient balance in the soil of India. In this work, the available and total status of eight micronutrients i.e. Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Co, Ni, Mo, and S of the soils in the most urbanized area: Raipur area, Chhattisgarh, India (extending over ≈ 2 × 10 4 km 2) is described. The available status of micronutrients i.e. Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Co, Ni, Mo and 2 4 SO − in the soils (n = 100) was ranged from 30-8253, 205-2800, 2.0-8.1, 0.7-5.0, 2.2-31.2, 0.1-13.4, 0.1-8.9 and 41-747 mg/kg with mean value of (at 95% probability) 642 ± 186, 1178 ± 119, 4.3 ± 0.3, 2.3 ± 0.2, 12.8 ± 1.3, 3.9 ± 0.6, 1.5 ± 0.3 and 281 ± 25 mg/kg, respectively. The concentration variations, deficiencies and toxicities of the micronutrients in the soil are discussed.

The study of heavy metal (HMs) contamination of environment is of great interest due to their serious health hazard. In this work, the contamination of tree leaves with the HMs in the most polluted industrial city, Korba, India is described. The leaves of common trees i.e. Azadirachta indica, Butea monosperma, Eucalyptus, Ficus religiosa, Mangifera indica and Tectona grandis were selected for assessment of the HMs contamination as bioindicator. The elevated concentration of HMs (i.e. As, Fe, Cr, Mn, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb and Hg) in the tree leaves was observed, ranging from 2.8 -43, 728 -5182, 8.6 -49, 48 -1196, 43 -406, 79 -360, 1.12 -1.65, 1.6 -16.4 and 0.13 -0.76 mg/kg, respectively. The concentration, enrichment and sources of the HMs in the leaves are described. Azadirachta indica leaves, accumulating higher concentration of the HMs, showed a higher efficiency as bioindicator for the urban pollution.

The groundwater of Ambagarh Chouki, Rajnandgaon, India, shows elevated levels of As and F-, frequently above the WHO guidelines. In this work, the concentrations of As, F-, Na ? , Mg 2? , Ca 2? , Cl-, SO 4 2-, HCO 3-, Fe, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in the groundwater of Ambagarh Chouki are described. The sources of dissolved components in the groundwater are investigated using the cluster and factor analysis. Five factors have been identified and linked to processes responsible for the formation of groundwater chemistry. High concentrations of dissolved As seems to be linked to high concentrations of DOC, suggesting reductive dissolution of ferric oxyhydroxides as arsenic mobilization process. Fluoride is found in shallow depth water, presumably as a consequence of evaporation of water and removal of Ca 2? by precipitation of carbonates.