Heavy Metal Contamination and Health Risk Assessment of Green Leafy Vegetables Irrigated with Municipal Wastewater in Gaziantep, Türkiye

İngilizce (OpenAlex)

The study was conducted to evaluate the heavy metal contents (As, Fe, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, and Pb) of soil and some green leafy vegetables irrigated with municipal wastewater in Gaziantep (Türkiye) and their possible health risks. For this purpose, the samples were collected from random plots that could best represent the area during the harvest period. The mean values of heavy metals analyzed in the soil were generally lower than the maximum permissible limits (MPL) recommended by WHO/FAO. However, the mean Fe (556 mg/kg), Cd (4.13 mg/kg), Cu (11.7 mg/kg), and Ni (7.7 mg/kg) contents in the mint samples were high for human consumption, according to WHO/ FAO. It was determined that the mean As in parsley was at the level of MPL, but the Pb contents in mint, parsley, and dill were higher than the MPL. The highest transfer factor (TF) value in mint was in Cd (1.34), followed by Cu (0.36) and Cr (0.15). The TF in parsley was Cd>As>Pb>Cr>Cu>Ni>Fe. On the other hand, it was Cu>Pb>As>Cr>Fe in dill. The daily intake of metal (DIM) of the leafy vegetables was lower than the permitted maximum tolerable daily intake (PMTDI) values. The hazard coefficient and hazard index were <1. Thus, it showed that consumption of the leafy vegetables grown with municipal wastewater did not pose a health risk related to the selected heavy metals.