Metal(oid)s in Vegetables: Human Health Risks Though Vegetable Consumption

Contamination of vegetables with metals may pose many health problems for consumers. Hence, it is crucial to determine metal levels in frequently consumed vegetables. This study investigates levels of ten metal(oid)s in various vegetable samples from Gonabad's market and assesses the potential health risks associated with consuming metal-contaminated vegetables. In this regard, 11 vegetable species were examined for the presence of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) using an ICP-MS analyzer. Levels of As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn were in the ranges of 0.02-0.5 (mean 0.18), 0.03-0.5 (mean 0.17), 0.5-10.50 (mean 1.52), 0.45-1.90 (mean 1.09), 5.25-13.58 (mean 8.90), 55.69-411.83 (mean 174.46), 0.04-0.5 (mean 0.26), 0.19-4.51 (mean 1.56), 0.18-2.47 (mean 1.17) and 12.60-31.01 (mean 20.99), respectively. Levels of some of the selected metals (Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn), except four metals including As, Cd, Ni and Pb, which exceeded the FAO/WHO limits, were within the FAO/WHO limits in the vegetables. In Gonabad, the sequence of HQ associated with metal(oid)s in vegetables exhibited the following pattern: children > teenagers > adults. However, HI values for children through consumption of eggplant and parsley were above 1, respectively, indicating that children may be facing health hazards due to the consumption of these two vegetables. However, no non-cancer risk was estimated for teenagers and adults. TCR values showed high cancer risk from the consumption of some vegetables for the three age groups, with higher TCR for adults. Therefore, routine monitoring of metal levels in vegetables, as well as associated health hazards, is suggested to prevent the accumulation of these metal(oid)s in the human food chain and to prevent potential health hazards in the future.