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Nickel and Cobalt Accumulation and Human Health Risk in Guava (Psidium guajava L.) Under Wastewater Irrigation: A
Zafar Iqbal Khan1, Kafeel Ahmad1,2, Asma Ashfaq1,3
1Department of Botany, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan.
Abstract:
This study aimed to evaluate the accumulation of nickel (Ni) and cobalt (Co) and their associated human health risks in two guava varieties (Gola and Surahi) grown under contrasting irrigation systems. For the analysis of Ni and Co, samples of water, soil, and fruits were collected from peri-urban areas, Chak 81 S.B (Site I) and 88 S.B (Site II) of Sargodha, Pakistan, which were irrigated with tube well water and wastewater, respectively. The mean values of Ni and Co were found in the range of 0.043 to 0.217 and 0.017 to 0.040 mg/L in water, 1.070 to 1.254 and 1.032 to 1.248 mg/kg in soil, and 0.281 to 0.582 and 0.202 to 0.252 mg/kg in fruit samples, respectively. The health risk assessment revealed that only Ni exceeded the safety threshold (maximum HRI = 1.113), indicating a potential health concern associated with the consumption of wastewater-irrigated guava, whereas all Co HRI values remained below 1 and did not indicate a significant health risk. These findings suggest that prolonged use of wastewater for irrigation should be carefully monitored and managed to minimize potential health risks associated with nickel accumulation in the food chain.
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