Assessing risk of heavy metals from consuming food grown on sewage irrigated soils and food chain transfer.

Heavy metal pollution of soils resulting from sewage and wastewater irrigation is causing major concern due to the potential risk involved. In the present study Musi River and its environs were assessed for heavy metal contamination. The study area was assessed for Zn, Cr, Cu, Ni, Co and Pb in soils, forage grass, milk from cattle, leafy and non-leafy vegetables. Partitioning pattern of soil revealed high levels of Zn, Cr, and Cu associated with labile fractions, making them more mobile and plant available. The associated risk was assessed using hazard quotient (HQ). Human risk was assessed in people known to consume these contaminated foods by analyzing metals concentrations in venous blood and urine. Results showed high amounts of Pb, Zn, Cr, and Ni compared to permissible limits. HQ was found to be high for Zn followed by Cr and Pb with special reference to leafy vegetables particularly spinach and amaranthus.

[1]  O. Bansal.  Heavy metal pollution of soils and plants due to sewage irrigation , 1998 .

[2]  Delya Sponza,et al.  Environmental geochemistry and pollution studies of Aliaga metal industry district. , 2002, Environment international.

[3]  Shizuo Suzuki,et al.  Computation of the index of pollution caused by heavy metals in river sediment , 1982 .

[4]  B. Sarkar,et al.  Heavy Metals in the Environment , 2002 .

[5]  N. V. van Straalen,et al.  Ecotoxicological evaluation of soil quality criteria. , 1989, Ecotoxicology and environmental safety.

[6]  P. Quevauviller,et al.  1. Quality assurance for environmental analysis , 1995 .

[7]  X. Xian.  Response of kidney bean to concentration and chemical form of cadmium, zinc, and lead in polluted soils. , 1989, Environmental pollution.

[8]  Shanker,et al.  Environmental Pathway and Risk Assessment Studies of the Musi River's Heavy Metal Contamination—A Case Study , 2005 .

[9]  Dinesh Mohan,et al.  Impact assessment of treated/untreated wastewater toxicants discharged by sewage treatment plants on health, agricultural, and environmental quality in the wastewater disposal area. , 2004, Chemosphere.

[10]  T. Krishnamoorthy,et al.  Dietary intake of heavy metals in Bombay city, India. , 1997, The Science of the total environment.

[11]  M. Oliver.  Soil and human health: a review , 1997 .

[12]  A. Urzelai,et al.  Risk Analysis of a Farm Area Near a Lead- and Cadmium-Contaminated Industrial Site , 1999 .

[13]  A. Kabata-Pendias.  Trace elements in soils and plants , 1984 .

[14]  M. Agrawal,et al.  Heavy metal contamination of soil and vegetables in suburban areas of Varanasi, India. , 2007, Ecotoxicology and environmental safety.

[15]  B. J. Alloway,et al.  Heavy metals in soils , 1990 .

[16]  P. Cambier.  Evaluation of the mobility of toxic elements in contaminated soils : Dossier : Soil, a sponge for pollutants/Le sol, une éponge à polluants , 1997 .

[17]  P. Trumbo,et al.  Dietary reference intakes: vitamin A, vitamin K, arsenic, boron, chromium, copper, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, silicon, vanadium, and zinc. , 1998, Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

[18]  A. L. Gray,et al.  Handbook of Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry , 1991 .

[19]  Baoshan Xing,et al.  Health risks of heavy metals to the general public in Tianjin, China via consumption of vegetables and fish. , 2005, The Science of the total environment.

[20]  R. Dubey,et al.  Biosorptive behaviour of casein for Zn2+, Hg2+ and Cr3+: effects of physico-chemical treatments , 1998 .

[21]  H. Frost,et al.  Trace metal concentration in durum wheat from application of sewage sludge and commercial fertilizer , 2000 .

[22]  G. D. Agrawal.  Diffuse agricultural water pollution in India , 1999 .

[23]  T. Hung,et al.  Daily intake of TBT, Cu, Zn, Cd and As for fishermen in Taiwan. , 2002, The Science of the total environment.

[24]  F. Itanna.  Metals in leafy vegetables grown in Addis Ababa and toxicological implications , 2002 .

[25]  R. K. Rattan,et al.  Long-term impact of irrigation with sewage effluents on heavy metal content in soils, crops and groundwater : a case study , 2005 .

[26]  E. Merian.  Introduction on environmental chemistry and global cycles of chromium, nickel, cobalt beryllium, arsenic, cadmium and selenium, and their derivatives† , 1984 .

[27]  M. Moorthy,et al.  Studies on the concentration of lead and cadmium in milk of cow and buffalo , 1998 .

[28]  Y. Cohen,et al.  A Critical Assessment of Chromium in the Environment , 1999 .

[29]  Benjamin J. Mason,et al.  Preparation of Soil Sampling Protocols: Sampling Techniques and Strategies , 1994 .

[30]  S. L. Ramesh,et al.  Rare earth and trace element determination in iron-formation reference samples by ICP-MS , 1992 .

[31]  R. Calderon,et al.  Arsenic : exposure and health effects , 1997 .

[32]  G. Schmidt,et al.  Accumulation of heavy metals in food plants and grasshoppers from the Taigetos Mountains, Greece. , 2000 .

[33]  L. Evans,et al.  Chemistry of metal retention by soils , 1989 .

[34]  D. Sauerbeck,et al.  The Contamination of Plants and Soils with Heavy Metals and the Transport of Metals in Terrestrial Food Chains , 1984 .

[35]  C. Siebe.  Heavy metal availability to plants in soils irrigated with wastewater from Mexico City , 1995 .

[36]  T. Krishnamoorthy,et al.  Daily intake of heavy metals by infants through milk and milk products. , 1999, The Science of the total environment.

[37]  H. Onishi,et al.  Geochemistry of arsenic , 1955 .

[38]  M. Legret,et al.  Speciation of Heavy Metals in Sewage Sludge and Sludge-Amended Soil , 1993 .

[39]  I. Thornton,et al.  Assessing potential risk of heavy metal exposure from consumption of home-produced vegetables by urban populations. , 2004, Environmental health perspectives.

[40]  L. Ramos,et al.  Sequential Fractionation of Copper, Lead, Cadmium and Zinc in Soils from or near Doñana National Park , 1994 .

[41]  V. Singh,et al.  Availability of essential trace elements in Indian cereals, vegetables and spices using INAA and the contribution of spices to daily dietary intake , 2006 .

[42]  M. McBride.  Environmental Chemistry of Soils , 1994 .

[43]  Stephanie J Buechler,et al.  The impact of water conservation and reuse on the household economy , 2003 .

[44]  R. Srikanth,et al.  Heavy metal content in forage grass grown in urban sewage sludge , 1992 .

[45]  J. Lester,et al.  Heavy metal content of vegetables irrigated with mixtures of wastewater and sewage sludge in Zimbabwe: Implications for human health , 2006 .

[46]  J. Chwastowska,et al.  Speciation of Heavy Metals in Municipal Composts , 1997 .

[47]  W. P. Miller,et al.  Permissible Concentrations of Arsenic and Lead in Soils Based on Risk Assessment , 1999 .

[48]  J. Kumari,et al.  Heavy metal pollution and phytoplankton in the river Moosi (Hyderabad), India , 1991 .

[49]  Jijun Li,et al.  Cadmium and zinc interactions and their transfer in soil-crop system under actual field conditions. , 2002, The Science of the total environment.

[50]  E. Gurzău,et al.  Lessons from case studies of metals: investigating exposure, bioavailability, and risk. , 2003, Ecotoxicology and environmental safety.

[51]  K. Giller,et al.  The effect of long-term irrigation using wastewater on heavy metal contents of soils under vegetables in Harare, Zimbabwe , 2005 .

[52]  D. C. Ayres,et al.  Chemical principles of environmental pollution , 1993 .

[53]  C. Poschenrieder,et al.  Arsenic and heavy metal contamination of soil and vegetation around a copper mine in Northern Peru , 1997 .

[54]  R. Srikanth,et al.  Lead, cadmium and chromium levels in vegetables grown in urban sewage sludge—Hyderabad, India , 1991 .

[55]  R. Srikanth,et al.  Cadmium levels in the urine of male sewage sludge farmers of Hyderabad, India. , 1994, Journal of toxicology and environmental health.

[56]  R. Sharma,et al.  Post-irrigation impact of domestic sewage effluent on composition of soils, crops and ground water--a case study. , 2002, Environment international.