Vol. 6, Issue 9 (2017)

Author(s):
Arvind Kumar, Manas Denre and Ruplal Prasad

Abstract:
Metal contamination in agricultural soils is of increasing concern due to food safety issues and potential health risks. Accumulation of heavy/trace metals in plants occur by various sources but soil is considered the major one. Consumption of edible plant parts containing (heavy/trace) metals is one of the main ways in which these elements enter the human body. Once entered, heavy metals are deposited in human body, overlapping noble minerals and cause an array of diseases. The present study aimed to investigate the concentration of different metals in agricultural soil and also in plants grown on those soils for notice the possible health risks to human body through food chain transfer. Contamination levels in soils and plants with metals were measured and transfer factors (TF) from soil to plants and its health risk were calculated accordingly. Results showed that concentration of Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, Ni, Co and Cd in soil is lower than the WHO/FAO value. The intake of metals (Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, Ni, Co and Cd) in human body through plant is not high and was found within the permissible limit as recommended by WHO, Food and Nutritional Board and US EPA. The Health Risk Index (HRI), on the basis of metals (Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, Ni and Co) concentration in all edible plant parts were found < 1.0 except mustard can be considered safe with no risk to human health, while in mustard HRI value of Mn (1.0593) was found slightly higher to 1.0 and this value for Pb and Ni were observed 2.5969 and 1.6720 indicates matter of concern and need comprehensive study on soil plant relationship in plateau areas of Jharkhand having a sheath of mines and industries. Considering the content of Mn, Pb and Ni in mustard, all the edible part of plants were good source of essential trace metals, they may provide the required amount of trace metals to human body with sufficient daily intake.