Assessment of Heavy Metal Levels and Associated Health Risks Linked to Vegetables Grown in Noakhali Region of...

This Study quantified heavy metal contamination in commonly consumed vegetables Eggplant, String Beans, Cucumber, Sweet Potato, Bitter Gourd, Lady Finger, Pumpkin, Indian Spinach, Wax Gourd and in the soils where they are grown, obtained from the 9 integrated farm in Noakhali, Bangladesh. It also assessed the potential human health risks linked to dietary exposure to these contaminated vegetables. Vegetable and soil samples were randomly collected, prepared using standard procedures, and analyzed for metal concentrations using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Among the analyzed vegetables, Bitter Gourd, Lady Finger and Pumpkin exhibited the greatest accumulation of heavy metals (As, Pb, Cd, Cr, Fe, and Cu) and the estimated average daily intake of lead and cadmium through vegetable consumption was found to be 2.4128, 0.3644 mg/person/day, surpassed the permissible limits established by the FAO/WHO. The cancer risk value of lead content in Bitter Gourd, Lady Finger & Pumpkin was 1.37 × 10^-3, 1.43 × 10^-3, 1.79 × 10^-3, chromium content in Bitter Gourd was 2.32 × 10^-3 and cadmium content in Bitter Gourd and Lady Finger was 4.80 × 10^-4, 5.47 × 10^-4 which exceeded the threshold value of 10-⁴, indicating a potential carcinogenic risk and suggesting that consumption of these particular vegetables could be unsafe for human health. The overall health risk index indicated that consuming certain vegetables from the integrated farm in the study area may pose potential health hazards. Consequently, continuous monitoring of heavy metal levels is highly recommended.