Human Health Risk Assessment and Potentially Harmful Element Contents in the Cereals Cultivated on Agricultural Soils.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Gruszecka-Kosowska A
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7084233 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Human Health Risk Assessment and Potentially Harmful Element Contents in the Cereals Cultivated on Agricultural Soils.
Gruszecka-Kosowska Agnieszka A
International journal of environmental research and public health 20200304 5
Potentially harmful element (PHE) contents were investigated in six species of cereals in southern Poland, with human health risk implications assessed afterwards. The PHE contents belonged to the following ranges (mg/kg wet weight): As below the limit of detection (<LOD)-0.013, Cd <LOD-0.291, Co <LOD-0.012, Cu 0.002-11.0, Hg <LOD-0.080, Ni <LOD-8.40, Pb <LOD-12.0, Sb <LOD-0.430, Tl <LOD-0.160, and Zn 5.47-67.7. The Pb and Cd contents exceeded the maximum allowable concentration (MAC) values for ...[more]
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Project description:The presence of potentially harmful elements (PHEs) in popularly consumed fruits in Poland was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Se, Sb, Tl, and Zn contents were investigated in 21 fruit species grouped as berry, pome, stone, and shell fruits. The PHE contents belonged to the following ranges (mg/kg wet weight): Cd < limit of detection (LOD)-0.116, Co < LOD-0.062, Cu < LOD-15.5, Ni < LOD-2.23, Pb < LOD-2.07, Sb < LOD-0.240, Tl < LOD-0.110, and Zn 0.37-37.7. Their concentrations exceeded the maximum allowable concentration (MAC) set by European Union regulation for Pb only. Bioconcentration coefficient (BC) values, calculated in accordance to the PHE contents in exchangeable and acid soluble forms in soil after first step of the Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) sequential extraction procedure, revealed that berry fruits had potential for accumulation of Cu, Ni, Sb, and Tl; stone fruits-Cu, Sb, and Tl; pome fruits-Cu, Ni, and Sb, and shell fruit (walnut)-Cu. Human health risk assessment associated with the intake of PHEs in fruits was evaluated in terms of daily intake rates (DIR), and carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk by cancer risk (CR) and hazard quotient (HQ), respectively. For Pb margin of exposure (MOE) approach was used for health risk evaluation. Daily intake rates for all PHEs were below the provisional maximum tolerable daily intake (PMTDI) values. The mean total non-carcinogenic risk values were the following: berry fruits HQ = 0.47, pome fruits HQ = 0.36, stone fruits HQ = 0.42, and shell fruits (walnut) HQ = 0.22, indicating no health hazards. The carcinogenic risk for As in walnut only under an adult intake scenario (CR = 1.98 × 10-6) was found to be above the acceptable risk level. The mean Pb health risk, according to Polish statistical intake rates, was acceptable low as the MOE value was equal to 15.7 for adults. In reference to the intake rates recommended by United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), MOE values for Pb indicated acceptable low risk both for adults (MOE = 14.0) and children (MOE = 1.64). In general, the finding of this research revealed no health risk arising from PHE consumption with fruits for the population of Poland.
| S-EPMC6950181 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Potentially harmful elements (PHEs) were investigated in eight groups of vegetables cultivated in southern Poland and the relevant health-risk implications were assessed. The PHE contents belonged to the following ranges (mg/kg wet weight) in edible parts: As < limit of detection (LOD)-0.056, Cd < LOD-0.375, Co < LOD-0.029, Cu < LOD-7.638, Hg < LOD-0.163, Ni < LOD-0.299, Pb < LOD-0.580, Sb < LOD-0.163, Tl < LOD-0.128, and Zn 1.23-34.9. The PHE concentrations decreased in the following order: Zn > Cu > Ni > Cd > Pb > Sb > Hg > Tl > As > Co. The concentrations of essential PHEs decreased as follows: root > leaf > seed > tuber > legume > inflorescence > shoot > fruit, while the unnecessary PHEs followed this sequence: leaf > root > tuber > legume > inflorescence > seed > shoot > fruit. Soil-to-plant transfer factors revealed capacities to adsorb Cd, Hg, and Tl in roots; Cd, Hg, Tl, and Zn in leaves; Cd, Hg, and Sb in tubers; and Cu, Sb, and Zn in legumes and seeds. The daily intake rates, as a percentage of permissible maximum tolerable daily intake, amounted to the following proportions: Cd 23%, Tl 13%, Hg 5.0%, Ni 3.1%, Pb 2.6%, and As 0.4%. Non-carcinogenic risk described as hazard quotient (HQ) was exceeded in root (HQ = 12.1), leafy (HQ = 2.1), and tuber (HQ = 1.4) vegetables. The carcinogenic risk of As (CR = 8.54 × 10-5) was found unacceptable. The margins of exposure for adults (MOE = 3.1) and children (MOE = 1.6), respectively, indicated a low health risk of Pb in consumed vegetables.
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| S-EPMC7035217 | biostudies-literature
Project description:In recent years, Qatar has witnessed exponential growth in the human population, urbanization, and increased anthropogenic activities, including agriculture. Potentially toxic environmental contaminants, including metals and metalloids, are commonly found in emerging economies. At high concentrations, elements such as As, Cr, and Ni can be hazardous and may lead to various health problems in humans, including cancer. The current study measured As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, V, and Zn concentrations in agricultural soils. Pollution levels and potential negative impacts on human and environmental health were determined using the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) standard methodologies. According to the study's findings, the studied element concentrations descended in the following order: Zn > Cr > V > Ni > As > Cu > Pb > Cd. Of these, As (27.6 mg/kg), Cr (85.7 mg/kg), Ni (61.9 mg/kg), and Zn (92.3 mg/kg) concentrations were higher than average world background levels. Each of these elements also had an enrichment factor (EF > 1), indicating their anthropogenic origin. The combined pollution load index (PLI > 1) and geo-accumulation index (Igeo) range values of -0.2-2.5 further indicated that the soil was up to 58% polluted. However, the ecological risk factor (Er ≤ 40.6) and potential ecological risk index (PERI = 79.6) suggested low ecological risk. A human health risk evaluation showed that only As, with a hazard index (HI) of 1.3, posed a noncarcinogenic risk to infants. Additionally, As, Cr, and Ni, with total carcinogenic risk (TCR) values of 1.18 × 10-4 and 2.06 × 10-4 for adults and children, respectively, proved carcinogenic to both age groups. The elements' carcinogenic risk (CR) potential descended in the following order: Ni > As > Cr. Additionally, for both adults and children, oral ingestion is the most likely exposure pathway. Our findings support the need for closer monitoring of potentially toxic metals and metalloids levels in cultivated soils and farm produce in Qatar. Reducing the elements' bioavailability in soil and developing innovative remediation technologies is needed to limit potential risks to human health. Further studies on As, Cr, and Ni gastrointestinal bioaccessibilities are needed to fully understand the effects after long-term exposure and the cancer-causing potential of these elements over a lifetime.
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Project description:According to their nutritional value, their ability to adapt to the various environmental conditions, and their versatility, cereals are among the most cultivated plants in the world. However, the ongoing climate changes subject crops to important environmental stress that for some varieties leads to high production losses. Therefore, the selection of species and varieties that are more versatile and adaptable to different environmental conditions can be important. However, the characteristics of some cereals are not completely known; this is a priority before aiming to improve their cultivation. The aim of this study is to characterize select species that are potentially suitable for local environmental conditions and that possess nutritional value. The elemental composition was assessed in different cereal species grown following intensive and organic agriculture practices. Six species were grown for this study with techniques of intensive agriculture: Triticum monococcum L., Triticum dicoccum L., Triticum aestivum L., variety Verna, Triticum durum Desf., variety Senatore Cappelli, Triticum durum Desf., variety Claudio, and Avena strigosa Schreb.; four of these were also grown following organic procedures: Triticum monococcum L., Triticum dicoccum L., Triticum aestivum L., variety Verna, and Triticum durum Desf., variety Senatore Cappelli. The study considered twenty elements, including major nutrients (Ca, K, Mg, P, and S), seven micronutrients (B, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Se, and Zn), and trace elements with toxic properties (Al, Ba, Cd, Cr, Na, Rb, Sc, and Sr) that can be accumulated at the seed level. The results highlight the differences in the element concentrations in the cereal seeds in relation to the genus and species; the highest concentrations of the major nutrients appeared in T. monococcum; the concentrations were 6.9, 2.09, 7.2, and 2.9 mg/g for K, Mg, P, and S, respectively. The highest concentrations of certain micronutrients, B, Ca, Mo, and Se (16, 785, 3.69, and 0.34 μg/g), were in A. strigosa. There is also evidence that the element content can be affected by the adopted cultivation procedure; however, the effects of the growing procedure can be significantly different when different species are considered. T. monococcum, grown by an organic procedure, presented lower concentrations of the major nutrients, while it demonstrated a modest increase in the micronutrients in the T. durum variety organic S. Cappelli, and the production procedure did not affect the elemental composition of the T. aestivum variety Verna. The survey also highlights that the studied species and the growing procedure affected the capacity to accumulate and translocate trace hazardous elements for human health at the seed level.
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Project description:An extensive study of the spatial distribution characteristics of potentially harmful elements (PHEs) in tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) garden soils and ecological risk assessment at An'xi County, the birthplace of oolong tea in China, was implemented. A total of 78 soil samples were examined to determine the concentration of five PHEs (As, Cd, Cr, Hg and Pb), soil organic matter and pH by using geostatistical approaches combined with geographical information system analysis. All PHEs presented in the study area were slightly higher than their background values for provincial and national standards except Cr. Moreover, ecological risk assessment of PHEs in the tea garden soils at An'xi County was performed by means of the Håkanson method. The average ecological potential risk index (Er) of the five PHEs followed a descending order of Cd > Hg > Pb > As > Cr, and suggested a moderate ecological risk in the study area.
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Project description:Wastewater contains large amounts of pharmaceuticals, pathogens, and antimicrobial resistance determinants. Only a little is known about the dissemination of resistance determinants and changes in soil microbial communities affected by wastewater irrigation. Community DNAs from Mezquital Valley soils under irrigation with untreated wastewater for 0 to 100 years were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR for the presence of sul genes, encoding resistance to sulfonamides. Amplicon sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes from community DNAs from soils irrigated for 0, 8, 10, 85, and 100 years was performed and revealed a 14% increase of the relative abundance of Proteobacteria in rainy season soils and a 26.7% increase in dry season soils for soils irrigated for 100 years with wastewater. In particular, Gammaproteobacteria, including potential pathogens, such as Pseudomonas, Stenotrophomonas, and Acinetobacter spp., were found in wastewater-irrigated fields. 16S rRNA gene sequencing of 96 isolates from soils irrigated with wastewater for 100 years (48 from dry and 48 from rainy season soils) revealed that 46% were affiliated with the Gammaproteobacteria (mainly potentially pathogenic Stenotrophomonas strains) and 50% with the Bacilli, whereas all 96 isolates from rain-fed soils (48 from dry and 48 from rainy season soils) were affiliated with the Bacilli. Up to six types of antibiotic resistance were found in isolates from wastewater-irrigated soils; sulfamethoxazole resistance was the most abundant (33.3% of the isolates), followed by oxacillin resistance (21.9% of the isolates). In summary, we detected an increase of potentially harmful bacteria and a larger incidence of resistance determinants in wastewater-irrigated soils, which might result in health risks for farm workers and consumers of wastewater-irrigated crops.
| S-EPMC4136100 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The relationship between degradation speed of soil-buried biodegradable polyester film in a farmland and the characteristics of the predominant polyester-degrading soil microorganisms and enzymes were investigated to determine the BP-degrading ability of cultivated soils through characterization of the basal microbial activities and their transition in soils during BP film degradation. Degradation of poly(butylene succinate-co-adipate) (PBSA) film was evaluated in soil samples from different cultivated fields in Japan for 4 weeks. Both the degradation speed of the PBSA film and the esterase activity were found to be correlated with the ratio of colonies that produced clear zone on fungal minimum medium-agarose plate with emulsified PBSA to the total number colonies counted. Time-dependent change in viable counts of the PBSA-degrading fungi and esterase activities were monitored in soils where buried films showed the most and the least degree of degradation. During the degradation of PBSA film, the viable counts of the PBSA-degrading fungi and the esterase activities in soils, which adhered to the PBSA film, increased with time. The soil, where the film was degraded the fastest, recorded large PBSA-degrading fungal population and showed high esterase activity compared with the other soil samples throughout the incubation period. Meanwhile, esterase activity and viable counts of PBSA-degrading fungi were found to be stable in soils without PBSA film. These results suggest that the higher the distribution ratio of native PBSA-degrading fungi in the soil, the faster the film degradation is. This could be due to the rapid accumulation of secreted esterases in these soils.
| S-EPMC4384995 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Groundwater contamination by potentially harmful elements (PHEs) originating from the weathering of granitic and gneissic rock dissolution poses a public health concern worldwide. This study investigated physicochemical variables and PHEs in the groundwater system and mine water of the Adenzai flood plain region, in Pakistan, emphasizing the fate distribution, source provenance, chemical speciation, and health hazard using the human health risk assessment HHRA-model. The average concentrations of the PHEs, viz., Ni, Mn, Cr, Cu, Cd, Pb, Co, Fe, and Zn 0.23, were 0.27, 0.07, 0.30, 0.07, 0.06, 0.08, 0.68, and 0.23 mg/L, respectively. The average values of chemical species in the groundwater system, viz., H+, OH-, Ni2+, Mn2+, Mn3+, Cr3+, Cr6+, Cu+, Cu2+, Cd2+, Pb2+, Pb4+, Co2+, Co3+, Fe2+, Fe3+, and Zn2+, were 1.0 × 10-4 ± 1.0 × 10-6, 1.0 × 10-4 ± 9.0 × 10-7, 2.0 × 10-1 ± 1.0 × 10-3, 3.0 × 10-1 ± 1.0 × 10-3, 1.0 × 10-22 ± 1.0 × 10-23, 4.0 × 10-6 ± 2.0 × 10-6, 4.0 × 10-11 ± 2.0 × 10-11, 9.0 × 10-3 ± 1.0 × 10-2, 2.0 × 10-1 ± 2.0 × 10-3, 7.0 × 10-2 ± 6.0 × 10-2, 5.0 × 10-2 ± 5.0 × 10-2, 2.0 × 10-2 ± 1.5 × 10-2, 6.0 × 10-2 ± 4.0 × 10-2, 8.0 × 10-31 ± 6.0 × 10-31, 3.0 × 10-1 ± 2.0 × 10-4, 4.0 × 10-10 ± 3.0 × 10-10, and 2.0 × 10-1 ± 1.0 × 10-1. The mineral compositions of PHEs, viz. Ni, were bunsenite, Ni(OH)2, and trevorite; Mn viz., birnessite, bixbyite, hausmannite, manganite, manganosite, pyrolusite, and todorokite; Cr viz., chromite and eskolaite; Cu viz., CuCr2O4, cuprite, delafossite, ferrite-Cu, and tenorite; Cd viz., monteponite; Pb viz, crocoite, litharge, massicot, minium, plattnerite, Co viz., spinel-Co; Fe viz., goethite, hematite, magnetite, wustite, and ferrite-Zn; and Zn viz., zincite, and ZnCr2O4 demarcated undersaturation and supersaturation. However, EC, Ca2+, K+, Na+, HCO3-, Cr, Cd, Pb, Co, and Fe had exceeded the WHO guideline. The Nemerow's pollution index (NPI) showed that EC, Ca2+, K+, Na+, HCO3-, Mn, Cd, Pb, Co, and Fe had worse water quality. Principal component analysis multilinear regression (PCAMLR) and cluster analysis (CA) revealed that 75% of the groundwater contamination originated from geogenic inputs and 18% mixed geogenic-anthropogenic and 7% anthropogenic sources. The HHRA-model suggested potential non-carcinogenic risks, except for Fe, and substantial carcinogenic risks for evaluated PHEs. The women and infants are extremely exposed to PHEs hazards. The non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks in children, males, and females had exceeded their desired level. The HHRA values of PHEs exhibited the following increasing pattern: Co > Cu > Mn > Zn > Fe, and Cd > Pb > Ni > Cr. The higher THI values of PHEs in children and adults suggested that the groundwater consumption in the entire region is unfit for drinking, domestic, and agricultural purposes. Thus, all groundwater sources need immediate remedial measures to secure health safety and public health concerns.
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Project description:Simultaneous ecological and health risk assessments of potentially toxic elements in soils and sediments can provide substantial information on their environmental influence at the river-basin scale. Herein, soil and sediment samples were collected from the Guishui River basin to evaluate the pollution situation and the ecological and health risk of potentially toxic elements. Various indexes were utilized for quantitatively assessing their health risks. Pollution assessment by geo-accumulation index showed that Cd had "uncontaminated to moderately polluted" status in the soils and sediments. Potential ecological risk index showed that the Guishui River basin was at low risk in general, but Cd was classified as "moderate or considerable ecological risk" both in the soils and sediments. Health risk assessment calculated human exposure from soils and indicated that both non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks of the selected potentially toxic elements were lower than the acceptable levels. Health risks posed by potentially toxic elements bio-accumulated in fish, stemming from sediment resuspension, were also assessed. Non-carcinogenic hazard index indicated no adverse health effects on humans via exposure to sediments; however, in general, Cr contributed largely to health risks among the selected potentially toxic elements. Therefore, special attention needs to be paid to the Guishui River basin in the future.
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