Ecological risk assessment of trace elements pollution and human health risk exposure in agricultural soils used for Saffron cultivation

Abstract

Contamination of farmland soils by trace elements has become an international issue concerning food safety and human health risks. In the present research, the concentrations of trace elements including cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) in soils of 16 farmlands was determined in Gonabad, Iran. In addition, the human health risks due to exposure to the trace elements from the soils were assessed. Moreover, the soil contamination likelihood was evaluated based on various contamination indices including contamination factor \((\text{C}\text{F}\)), enrichment factor (EF), geo-accumulation index (Igeo), and pollution load index (PLI) calculations. The soil mean concentrations for Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn and Fe ranges as 0.102, 6.968, 22.550, 29.263, 475.281, 34.234, 13.617, 54.482 and 19683.6 mg/kg in farmland soils. The mean concentrations of the trace elements decreased in the order of Fe > Mn > Zn > Ni > Cu > Cr > Pb > Co > As > Cd. Levels of all metals in this study were within the FAO/WHO and Iranian soil standards. The HQ values from investigated elements for adults and children in the studies farms was less than the limit of 1, indicating no health risks for the studied subpopulations. The results of the present research indicated no significant carcinogenic health hazards for both adults and children through ingestion, skin contact and inhalation exposure routes. \(\text{C}\text{F}\) values of for Ni and Zn in 100 % an 6.25 % offarmlands were above 1, showing moderate contamination conditions. EF values of metals in farmlands were recorded as “no enrichment”, “minimal enrichment” and “moderate enrichment” classes. Furthermore, it can be concluded that the all farms were uncontaminated except Ni (moderately contaminated) based on Igeo. PLI showed no contaminated conditions in the entire area. This is an indication that the selected trace elements in the agricultural soils have no appreciable threat to human health.

Determination of Major and Trace Metals in Date Palm Fruit (Phoenix dactylifera) Samples Using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry and Assessment of the Associated Public Health Risks

“…Te consumption of heavy metal-contaminated food items (such as date palm fruits) could pose several health risks to humans, including kidney and liver damage, depletion of immunological defenses and intrauterine growth, psychosocial dysfunctions, anemia, damage to the skin, teeth, and central nervous system, muscular cramps, diseases associated with malnutrition, high blood pressure, and carcinogenic disease. [20][21][22][23].…”

Sequential extraction of cadmium, nikel, and lead in soils from Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil

“…Trace elements (TEs), also called heavy metals, can be harmful to the environment and human health, since they have the potential for bioaccumulation, biomagnifications Taghavi et al (2023). The total TEs contents in soil are usually used as an index for evaluation of contamination and pollution degree of these soils Mukabenova et al (2024).…”

“…The soluble and exchangeable forms are considered the most readily mobile and available to plants Rolka; Wyszkowski (2021) e Singh et al (2020), while the forms adsorbed on interlayer clays, precipitated as carbonates, oxides or complexes linked to organic matter are less available Liu et al (2022). Different extraction methods have been proposed for different matricessoil or waste Rao, Sahuquillo, and Lopez Sanchez (2008), and that one proposed by Tessier, Campbell, and Bisson (1979) is one of the most widely adopted. The fractionation can separate forms of TEs in soil in five to eight fractions, depending on the method employed.…”

Development of a Whole-Cell System Based on Genetically Modified Protoplasts to Detect Nickel Ions in Food Matrices

“…The principal sources of heavy metal are industrial effluents discharge and fertilizers, responsible for soil contamination. The main threat for human health derives from the capability of metal ions to persist in soils, where they tend to accumulate and are easily transferred into the food chain [1,2] causing damages to human health. These contaminants raise a serious global issue, concerning the effect of heavy metals on food contamination and food safety [3,4].…”

“…On the contrary, new tools such as biosensors can be used as a simple, rapid, and sensitive method to detect heavy metal contaminants, also by in situ analysis. 2 Classical biosensors are analytical devices characterized by three elements: a biological recognition element, associated to a physical-chemical transducer, converting the biological response into a detectable signal, and a micro-electronic component able to amplify and convert the signal into a numeric record [10]. In particular, when a prokaryotic or eukaryotic cell represents a reporter system incorporating both biological recognition and transducer elements, the device is called "whole-cell biosensor" or, in other words, it constitutes a whole-cell detection system [5,11,12].…”