Chromium Contamination and Health Risk Assessment of Soil and Agricultural Products in a Rural Area in Southern China

Abstract

With the rapid development of industry, chromium (Cr) pollutants accumulate constantly in the soil, causing severe soil Cr pollution problems. Farmland Cr pollution hurts the safety of agricultural production and indirectly affects human health and safety. However, the current situation of Cr pollution in farmland soil and crops has not been detailed enough. In this study, the evaluation of Cr potential risk in soil-crop systems was conducted in a rural area that was affected by industry and historic sewage irrigation. Ten different crops and rhizosphere soils were sampled from four fields. The results showed that Cr contents in farmland soil exceeded the national standard threshold in China (>21.85%), and the Cr content in edible parts of some agricultural products exceeded that too. According to the PCA and relation analysis, the Cr accumulation in edible parts showed a significant correlation with soil Cr contents and available potassium contents. Except for water spinach, the target hazard quotient (THQ) of the other crops was lower than 1.0 but the carcinogenic health risks all exceeded the limits. The carcinogenic risks (CR) of different types of crops are food crops > legume crops > leafy vegetable crops and root-tuber crops. A comprehensive assessment revealed that planting water spinach in this area had the highest potential risk of Cr pollution. This study provided a scientific and reliable approach by integrating soil environmental quality and agricultural product security, which helps evaluate the potential risk of Cr in arable land more efficiently and lays technical guidelines for local agricultural production safety.

Health risk assessment of heavy metals in saffron (Crocus sativus L.) cultivated in domestic wastewater and lake water irrigated soils

“…Other effects include human neurological and renal dysfunction [ 67 , 68 ]. Furthermore, in some cases, several types of cancer can proliferate [ 69 ]. Whereas, both Fe and Mn exceeded the safe limits for surface disposal and inland irrigation by 1.7–14.2-folds.…”

The Difference between Rhizosphere and Endophytic Bacteria on the Safe Cultivation of Lettuce in Cr-Contaminated Farmland

“…The average annual temperature in Hemudu Town was 16.2 • C, and the average annual precipitation was 2301.1 mm. Due to the illegal processing of stainless-steel hoses and dumping of industrial wastewater by the factory, the soil had been seriously polluted by Cr [37]. The soil samples were air dried and pulverized to 2 mm to carry out the pot experiment.…”

Heavy Metals Contamination of Local and Imported Rice in Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia

“…Ali (2022) reported that 97.4% of rice samples in Pakistan exceeded the chromium limit of 1.0 mg/ kg (Faraj et al, 2019). The presence of chromium in the soil can be attributed to various sources, including contamination resulting from human activities like the application of pesticides and fertilizers that contain chromium, improper disposal of industrial waste, and the disposal of fossil fuels (Testa, 2004;Xu et al, 2023). Soil contaminated with chromium can distribute to rice and increase its concentration in food derivatives.…”

“…The pH range of local rice was found to be higher compared to imported rice, ranging from 3.88 to 5.78 and 4.96 to 5.68, respectively. The ideal pH for the growth of rice plants is 6.5-8.5 (Xu et al, 2023). Furthermore, according to Merismon (2017) soil with a pH ranging from 6.4 to 6.8 is considered ideal for plant growth and possesses qualities that can supply sufficient nutrients to plants (Merismon et al, 2017).…”