Worrying cadmium and lead levels in a commonly cultivated vegetable irrigated with river water in Zimbabwe

Abstract

Vegetable cultivation using river water, which may be polluted with heavy metals, can cause health problems to consumers. A study to establish cadmium and lead levels in water from Msasa, Manyame; Mukuvisi and Nyatsime Rivers was conducted in 2019. A questionnaire survey involving 105 randomly selected urban vegetable growers was conducted to examine farmer knowledge of the potential of polluted water to contaminate produce through heavy metals. Water, soil and vegetable samples were also collected and analysed for heavy metal presence using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Results showed that some farmers (62%) were aware that wastewater could contain heavy metals. The majority of farmers (67%) applied phosphate-based fertilisers, a potential source of cadmium. Tested at P < 0.05, the results showed that sampled water from the four sites failed to meet the Standards Association of Zimbabwe 5560 (1997) standards. Cadmium tissue concentration from wastewater from Msasa and Manyame rivers was 1.3 and 1.17 mg g −1 respectively, which were 59 and 65 times higher than 0.02 mg g −1 from the control. Water from Manyame and Nyatsime rivers contains levels of heavy

Assessment of the variation of heavy metals and pesticide residues in native and modern potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivars grown at different altitudes in a typical mining region in Peru

“…In this zone, 83% of soil used to grow potatoes had Pb concentrations lower than 3 mg/kg (the quantification limit). It has therefore been suggested that other sources of contamination be evaluated, such as the water used for irrigation as it has been shown that watering vegetables with river water contaminated by Pb causes accumulations of this metal above the MRL [66] .…”

Porters diamond model and Zimbabwes national competitiveness in the cut flower industry

“…Other sections asked respondents about Demand Conditions, related and supporting industries, government and chance. Double-barreled questions and biased wording were avoided during questionnaire design (Tibugari et al, 2020a). Prior to the administration of the questionnaire, a pretest survey involving five respondents was conducted to check proper phrasing of questions and their understanding and interpretation (Hilton, 2017) and to check how long it took to interview one respondent (Tibugari et al, 2020b).…”

Characterization of physicochemical parameters and insect composition in a reservoir in Northern Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

“…It could also be attributed to the geogenic effect exacerbated by anthropogenic activities in the area (Ullah et al, 2022;Jonah & Anyanwu, 2023). The intense use of phosphate fertilizer in agricultural activities in the area could also be a major source of heavy metals pollution (Tibugari et al, 2020;Jastrzebska et al, 2021). The higher concentration of heavy metals in dry months (December 2022 and January 2023) could suggest geogenic sources influenced by season.…”