Arsenic in vegetables poses a health risk in the vicinity of a mining area in the southern Hunan Province, China

ABSTRACT

The main objectives of the present study were to investigate the levels of arsenic (As) in 23 vegetable species planted on As-polluted soil and assess the human health risks of contaminated vegetable consumption. The target hazard quotient (THQ) and target cancer risk (TR) methods were employed to evaluate the human health risks posed by exposure to As through vegetable consumption. Our results indicate substantial As contamination of the experimental soil. Significant differences were detected in the concentrations of total and inorganic As in the edible parts of the various vegetables grown on contaminated soil, which were generally in the following order: leafy vegetables > stem vegetables > root vegetables > melon and fruit vegetables. The total THQ value for As due to vegetable consumption for children (4.81) was higher than that for adults (3.66), the TR values for As due to vegetable ingestion for adults (1.65 × 10⁻³) and children (2.17 × 10⁻³) were significantly beyond the range of acceptable risk (10-6–10-4) recommended by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the maximum acceptable risk value (5.0 × 10⁻⁵) recommended by the International Commission on Radiation Protection, which clearly poses a dangerous health risk for residents consuming vegetables in the long-term in the study area.

KEYWORDS:

• Arsenic
• vegetable
• soil contamination
• mining area
• health risk assessment

Funding

This research article contributes to the project “Research on risks and control technology in the use of farmland polluted with heavy metals” supported by the Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection (201009047).