Heavy metals in basic vegetables of the Bagerhat district, Bangladesh

This survey studied potential human health risks through mostly consumed vegetables such as brinjal, sweet gourd, papaya, tomato, bitter gourd, snake gourd, sponge gourd, and bottle gourd in the southwestern region of Bangladesh. Cd, Cr, Pb, Ni, Fe, and As were analysed in the samples by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The mean level of heavy metals in vegetables followed the descending order of brinjal > snake gourd > bitter gourd > sponge gourd > sweet gourd > tomato > bottle gourd > papaya. Estimated daily intake, target hazard quotient, hazard index, and carcinogenic risk value revealed that these vegetables have no negative impact on human health. Furthermore, principal component analysis, cluster analysis, and correlation analysis indicate that metal sources may be common. It was concluded that the studied vegetables may not cause human health risk and further investigations should be conducted on a larger scale.