The Potential Health Risk Associated with Edible Vegetable Grown on Cr (VI) Simulated Soils

Abstract

This study reports on the assessment of the growth potential of five edible vegetables which were grown in Cr (VI) spiked soils. The vegetable plants that were used in this study were Vigna angularis, Cicer arietinum, Spinacia oleracea, Amaranthus dubius Thell and Phaseolus vulgaris. Dried ground samples from roots, stems and leaves were analysed for various oxidation states of Cr. The daily intake of chromium (DIC), hazard quotient (HQ) and hazard index (HI) methods were employed to assess the potential human health risks posed by these Cr oxidation states through vegetable consumption. The results showed that Vigna angularis was the only vegetable that germinated in highly concentrated Cr (VI) in the simulated soil (456 mg/kg). The highest bioaccumulation factor of CrT in the roots was found in Cicer arietinum at 3.5 ± 0.51 mg/kg DW. The highest translocation factor in stem was that of Cicer arietinum and Vigna angularis at 1.0 ± 0.00, while Cicer arietinum and Spinacia oleracea translocated highest Cr to the leaf at 2.1 ± 0.21. A child or an adult consuming such contaminated Cicer arietinum were likely to take in between 508 -785 mg/kg/day of total Cr which were above the World Health Organisation guidelines of 220 and 340 mg/kg/day, respectively. The highest HQ was found in Cicer arietinum at 8.7 and 13.4 for adults and children, respectively. The same species of plants had also high HI at 17.4 and 27.2 for adults and children respectively. This indicated that consumers of the edible vegetables grown in Cr (VI) rich soil may be exposed to health risks and the children were more likely to be vulnerable to these adverse effects than the adult.

Performance of Zea mays L. cultivars in tannery polluted soils: Management of chromium phytotoxicity through the application of biochar and compost

“…In control treatment, plant height, fresh and dry biomass, and leaf area were decreased. Direct exposure of Cr toxicity on root growth, its accumulation in root, and translocation to aerial parts might have affected plant cellular metabolism and it could be associated to reduction in plant growth (Oruko et al, 2019; Silva et al, 2014). Chromium exposure certainly reduced the root numbers and lateral roots formation, which might be associated to cell division inhibition of roots and/or elongation or extension of plant cell cycle, as reported previously (Sharma et al, 2020).…”

“…Decrease in leaf area of maize cultivars might be associated to loss of turgor and reduction of cells in leaves (Shahid et al, 2014; Sihag et al, 2019). Similarly, reduction of mesophyll layer, palisade and spongy parenchyma cells of leaves caused by toxicity of Cr, might also have affected the overall leaf growth (Oruko et al, 2019; Pandey et al, 2009). Compost application significantly increased the plant growth in tannery waste polluted soils (K and S).…”