Arsenic accumulation in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and broad bean (Vicia faba L.) crops and its potential risk for human consumption

Abstract

Exposure to arsenic (As) is considered one of the primary health risks humans face worldwide. This study was conducted to determine As absorption by broad beans and lettuce crops grown in soil with As contents and irrigated with water contaminated with this toxic element, in Pastos Chicos, Jujuy (Argentina). Total dry biomass (TDB) and total As were determined in soils, roots, leaves, pods and seeds. These data were used to determine several parameters, such as translocation (TF) and bioconcentration (BCF) factors, target hazard quotient (THQ), and carcinogenic risk (CR). Broad bean plants had the lowest biomass production when exposed to As in irrigation water and soil. Lettuce plants presented TDB reductions of 33.3 and 42.8% when grown in soil polluted with As, and in control soil under irrigation with contaminated water, respectively. The presence of this toxicant in broad bean seeds and lettuce leaves (edible parts) exceeded the limits established by Código Alimentario Argentino, i.e. 0.10 and 0.30 mg/kg, respectively. THQ values for lettuce leaves were higher than 1, the same as those for broad bean seeds when grown in soil with As contents and irrigated with arsenic-contaminated water, thus suggesting that consumers would run significant risks when consuming these vegetables. Furthermore, this type of exposure to As implied a CR that exceeded the acceptable 1 × 10−4 risk level. Hence, we may conclude that consuming lettuce and broad beans grown at the evaluated site brings about considerable health risks for local residents.

Uptake of Arsenic by Irrigated Vegetables and Cooked Food Products in Burkina Faso

“…With increasing concentrations of As in the irrigation water, lettuce leaves had a lower water content, i.e., they became drier (Supplementary Figure 3). This is consistent with a previous study (Yanez et al, 2019) that observed that lettuce plant growth was significantly affected by irrigation with As-contaminated water (in terms of biomass reduction). However, there was no difference in plant mass between treatments, as also observed by Caporale et al (2014).…”

“…For lettuce leaves, the As content was higher than what was previously reported in the literature studies. However, the As content in the leaves of lettuce irrigated with 1,000 µg/L in this study was 0.7 times lower than one study carried out in Argentina (Yanez et al, 2019) using soil at 8 mg As/kg and As-contaminated water at 1,440 µg/L. There are several possible reasons explaining the higher levels of As observed in carrot and leafy vegetables: First, leafy vegetables have a greater capability to accumulate high levels of trace metals and minerals from soil than other vegetables (Jamali et al, 2008;Baig and Kazi, 2012).…”

Heavy metals in soils and edible tissues of Lepidium meyenii (maca) and health risk assessment in areas influenced by mining activity in the Central region of Peru

“…The cumulative exposure to total cancer risk (TCR) of As, Cd and Pb was higher in children (1.36 × 10 −4 ) than in adults (7.83 × 10 −5 ) and the most important contribution would be As followed by Cd. Populations exposed to As from consumption of contaminated water and food could cause gastrointestinal diseases, cardiovascular and central nervous system disorders, and risk for several types of cancer (skin, lung, bladder, kidney) [ 106 , 107 ].…”

Additive and Interactive Associations of Environmental and Sociodemographic Factors with the Genotypes of Three Glutathione S-Transferase Genes in Relation to the Blood Arsenic Concentrations of Children in Jamaica

“…Jamaica has high levels of As in soils [ 56 , 57 , 58 ] as well as surface water [ 17 ]. Since the ability to absorb As in soil and water differs between plants [ 58 , 59 , 60 ], the food safety of agricultural plants is of concern. In our pervious study, we reported that Jamaican children who ate avocado had a geometric mean blood As concentration of 4.78 μg/L, which is 10% higher than that among Jamaica children who did not eat such food ( p = 0.04) [ 13 ].…”

“…In our pervious study, we reported that Jamaican children who ate avocado had a geometric mean blood As concentration of 4.78 μg/L, which is 10% higher than that among Jamaica children who did not eat such food ( p = 0.04) [ 13 ]. In addition, Yañez et al have reported that broad beans accumulate As effectively and highlighted that when both the soil and the irrigation water contains high levels of As, eating broad beans could pose a greater risk of having a higher level of exposure to As [ 60 ]. All these studies support our results that the consumption of broad beans and avocado is directly associated with a detectable level of blood As concentrations in Jamaican children.…”