Assessment of potentially toxic elements in vegetables cultivated in urban and peri-urban sites in the Kurdistan region of Iraq and implications for human health

Abstract

Vegetable fields in and around urban areas in the Kurdistan region of Iraq may have higher than background concentrations of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) from contamination sources including municipal waste disposal and waste water used for irrigation. The purpose of this study was to assess PTE concentrations in soils and the edible parts of field-grown vegetables to quantify potential health risks to the local population. In this survey, 174 soils and 26 different vegetable and fruit types were sampled from 15 areas around Sulaymaniyah and Halabja cities. Sampling was undertaken from fields in urban, periurban and rural locations including sites close to areas of waste disposal.The soils are calcareous (pH 7.67 -8.21) and classified as silty loam, sandy or silty clay with organic matter content between 6.62 and 11.4%. Concentrations of PTEs were typically higher in waste disposal areas compared with urban, peri-urban and rural areas. Pollution load indices (PLI) suggested that agricultural soils near waste disposal sites were contaminated with some trace elements. Potentially toxic element concentrations in vegetables were highly variable. Higher total concentrations of PTEs were measured in vegetables from the waste areas with decreasing concentrations in urban, peri-urban and rural areas. Risks to human health were assessed using hazard quotients (HQ). Vegetable consumption poses no risk for adults whereas children might be exposed to Ni, As and Cd. Although HQs suggest elevated risk for children from consumption of some vegetables, these risks are likely to be lower when realistic dietary consumption levels are considered.

[Retracted] Securitization Concept and Its Application to Environmental Problems in the Kurdistan Region: Prospects and Obstacles

“…Urbanization and a change in lifestyle for many people have led to an increase in the consumption of all sorts of goods and, consequently, an increase in waste material. Almost all the solid waste ends up in open dumpsites or landfills [ 10 ], and some of these places are not very far from the residential areas. In some dumping lands, the solid wastes are burned haphazardly, with the air pollution distribution of a rotten odor [ 11 ].…”

Heavy metals and potential health risk assessment of Lactuca sativa and Daucus carrota from soil treated with organic manures and chemical fertilizer

“…The HQ values varied from 0.028 for Cr in lettuce from untreated soil to 0.528 for Fe in lettuce from NPK treatment. The HQ for each metal was less than the allowable maximum threshold of 1, suggesting intake of a single metal from the consumption of vegetables does not pose a health threat (Hawrami et al, 2020 ; Tariq, 2021 ; Xu et al, 2016 ). However, the HI, which is the sum of the HQ values for all metals in the vegetables, suggested exposure to a potential health hazard.…”

Erbil residents' daily consumption of heavy metals via sewage and well water-irrigated veggies

“…Where C represents the concentration of metals in the edible part of vegetable in mg kg-1, DIV is a daily intake (daily vegetable consumption rate for adult residents was 33, 15, 13, 5 and 4 g fresh weight basis for Chard, Celery, Arugula, Leek and Dill respectively, questionnaire survey of this study) and BW represents body weight in (kg) which assumed 70 kg for adult (Hawrami et al, 2020).…”