SHAIL KULSHRESTHA
Abstract
This study was carried out to assess the consumer health risk due to intake of eight winter vegetables grown in farm soil around rural areas of Jwalapur, district Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India. The levels of cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, nickel, lead and zinc in farm soil and in edible parts of vegetables were determined using atomic absorption spectrometer. The order of accumulated metals in vegetables was zinc > iron > nickel > lead > cadmium > copper > chromium. The observed pattern of metal transfer (TF) from soil to edible parts of vegetables was zinc > iron > chromium > copper > lead > cadmium > nickel. The metal pollution index (MPI) values for all vegetables under study were found greater than unity (1.52 to 1.91). The daily intake of metals (DIM) was estimated to assess the human health risk index (HRI) due to consumption of these vegetables as dietary component. The overall HRI order was Cd (290-440) > Pb (72.5- 117.5) > Zn (16.33- 52.53) > Ni (17.0- 24.0) > Cu (5.25- 10.0) > Fe (0.33-0.70) > Cr (0.14 - 0.23).