The health risk assessment of heavy metals in vegetables grown in Babol city, north of Iran

Contamination of vegetables with heavy metals through contaminated water can lead to accumulation in the body of consumers. This study aimed to determine the heavy metal concentration in vegetables grown in Babol city, Iran.

A descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 32 samples of vegetables (parsley, spinach, basil, tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, onions, and beans) by random sampling in the harvest season of 2021. Heavy metal content was assessed by atomic absorption.

The highest mean concentration of copper, zinc, cadmium and lead in tested samples was 12.86, 68.67, 1.93, and 0.48 mg/kg fresh weight, respectively, which found in parsley and spinach samples. There was a significant difference between the mean concentrations of copper, zinc and lead among different vegetables (P <0.001), but no significant difference was observed in the case of cadmium. The highest risk of non-cancerous diseases (HQ) for Zn in parsley and spinach were higher than threshold value of 1, and the main exposure pathway of heavy metals is ingestion.

This study showed that the main part of heavy metal accumulation occurs in leafy vegetables. Therefore, consuming leafy vegetables should be paid more attention to the vegetables grown around industrial areas.