Oct. 2013 - RS Publication

International Journal of Advanced Scientific and Technical Research Available online on http://www.rspublication.com/ijst/index.html

Issue 3 volume 5, Sep.-Oct. 2013 ISSN 2249-9954

Level of heavy metal concentrations in some leafy vegetables locally available in the markets of Jhansi, Bundelkhand Region Jitendra Kumar1*, Jitendra Kumar Singh2, Sandeep Arya1 1

2

Institute of Environment & Development Studies, Bundelkhand University, Jhansi 284128, India

School of Environment and Sustainable Development (SESD), Central University of Gujarat, Gandhinagar, 382030, India

AbstractThe heavy metal pollution is one of the most critical problems that arise due to the uses of highly toxic fertilizers and chemicals for high yielding food. Heavy metals affect the nutritive values of agricultural materials and also have deleterious effect on human beings. The main aim of this study was to investigate the level of heavy metal concentration in a selected leafy vegetable (Cabbage, Carrot, Reddish, Pea and Spinach) that grown in bundelkhand region of Jhansi district, which are available in local markets and consumed as a part of food. In this study, Heavy metal levels in five different leafy vegetables were determined using atomic absorption spectrometry. These were compared with the permissible levels set by the WHO and FAO .Results showed that the levels of Cadmium (Cd), Lead (Pb), Nickel (Ni), Copper (Cu) and Iran (Fe) ranged from 0.036±0.025 to 0.117±0.112; 0.152±0.097 to 0.281±0.163; 0.196±0.209 to 0.611±0.238; 0.501±0.365 to 0.896±0.98 and 11.551±3.144 to 14.833±3.385 µg/g, respectively. The obtained heavy metal levels were found to be within the acceptable limit which is an indicator that the leafy vegetables in Jhansi area are safe for consumption without the risk of environmental toxicants. Keywords: -Leafy vegetables, Heavy metals, Atomic absorption spectrophotometer.

INTRODUCTION Vegetables are an important ingredient of human diet that contains essential nutrients and trace elements (Abdullah and Chmielnicka, 1990; Sobukola et al., 2007).They are very important protective food and useful for the maintenance of health and the prevention and treatment of various diseases (D’Mello, 2003). However, these plants contain both essential and toxic metals over a wide range of concentrations (Radwan and Salama, 2006).Vegetables are rich sources of vitamins, fibers, andminerals, and also have beneficial anti-oxidative effects. However, intake of heavy metal contaminated vegetables may pose a direct threat to human health. This is because, heavy metals have the ability to accumulate in living organisms and at elevated levels they can be toxic. Vegetables takes up metals by absorbing them from contaminated soils, as well as from deposits on different parts of the vegetables exposed to the air from polluted environments R S. Publication, [email protected]

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(Sobukola et al., 2010). It has been reported that prolonged consumption of unsafe concentrations of heavy metals through foodstuffs may lead to the chronic accumulation of the metals in the kidney and liver of humans causing disruption of numerous biochemical processes, leading tonervous, cardiovascular, kidney and bone diseases(Trichopoulos, 1997; Jarup, 2003).Leafy vegetables have greater potential of accumulating heavy metals in their edible parts than grain or fruit crops. Studies on the uptake of heavy metals by plants have shown that heavy metals can be transported passively from roots to shoots through the xylem vessels (Kirkham, 1977; Krijger et al., 1999). Environmental pollution has caused the contamination of soils, on the other hand waste water irrigation results in the significant mixing of heavy metal content of the agricultural land (Mapanda et al., 2005). Long term waste water irrigation may lead to accumulation of heavy metals in agricultural soils and plants. Food safety issues and potential health risk make this one of most serious environmental concerns (Cui et al., 2004). Crops and vegetables grown in soils contaminated with heavy metals have greater accumulation of heavy metals than those grown in uncontaminated soils (Marshall et al 2007; Sharma et al 2006, 2007). Heavy metals that are tolerated by plants and are toxic to humans and animals are easily transferred to consumers through food supply and consequently cause health problems.

MATERIAL AND METHODS Description of the study area Jhansi is one of the important districts out of thefive districts of Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the plateau of central India, an areadominated by rocky reliefs and minerals underneath the soil.Leafy vegetables sample have beencollected from 5 different point of Jhansi as fallow:Site1- Bus stand of Jhansi city; Site 2– Barwa sagar; Site 3– Koch; Site 4– Mauranipur and Site5– Gursarain (Figure – 1).

Collection of samples: A total of 125 samples consisting of five different leafy vegetables each were purchased from five major marketed sites of Jhansi district namely Bus stand of Jhansi city,Barwa sagar, Koch,Mauranipur and Gursarain during 2012. Edible portions of the samples were used for analysis while bruised or rotten samples were removed. Five vegetable species were selected for R S. Publication, [email protected]

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the purpose of the experiment based on their availability.The leafy vegetables includeCabbage (Brassica oleracea), Carrot (Daucus carota), Reddish (Raphanus sativus), Pea (Pisum sativum) and Spinach (Spinacia oleracea).The samples were storedin polythene bags until analysis under refrigeration condition(Pb>Cu>Ni>Cd.Leafy vegetables accumulate higher concentration of iron than other vegetables. The higher concentration of heavy metals observed in vegetable sample from effluent irrigated place related to conc. of metals in soils.Result shows that the concentration of Cd is lowestin all vegetables in comparison to other vegetables. Cd is lowest (0.003µg/g drywt.) in Spinach of Bus stand of Jhansi city and highest (0.314µg/g drywt.) in Radishof Koch.This is below the safe limit of WHO/FAO.The Cd is generally produced by volcanic eruptions, battery manufacturing industries, alloy manufacturing etc. and the waste that generated from these sources are thrown into near rivers, canals .The Barwa sagar receive more waste material and the plant that irrigated from these water contain Cd concentration.But the concentration of Cd is very low because of there are no any battery and alloy manufacturing industries. The concentration of Pb is highest (0.461µg/g dry wt.) in carrot of Bus stand of Jhansi city and lowest (0.038µg/g drywt.) in cabbage and Pea of Barwa sagar because Pb is generally accumulated in those plant R S. Publication, [email protected]

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which are grown in that area where air traffic is more. So the vegetable that grown near Jhansi city have large accumulation of Pb and the vegetable that grown near Barwa sagar have low accumulation of Pb because there were less air traffic.The concentration of Ni is highest in Reddish (0.972µg/g drywt.) of Barwa sagar and lowest (0.002µg/g drywt.) in carrot of Mauranipur because near Mauranipur number of dam, canals and rivers are flows so the vegetable that are grown in mauranipur are irrigated from the these sources and content low level of heavy metals andBarwa sagar content number of heavy metals, trace metals and waste water so league accumulation of heavy metals.The concentration of Cu is maximum (0.987µg/g drywt.) in Cabbage of Barwa sagar and minimum (0.051µg/g drywt.) in Reddish of Koch because Cu are found in those area which are contaminated with organic fertilizer or artificial fertilizer so these are found in Barwa sagar and accumulation of Cu is maximum in vegetables of Barwa sagar and minimum in the place of Koch because there were less number of canal and dam so less accumulation of organic fertilizer in water resources.The concentration of Fe is maximum (19.21µg/g drywt.) in Spinach of Barwa sagar and minimum (8.227µg/g drywt.) in Pea of the site of Bus stand of Jhansi city. The various safe limits of Cd, Pb, Ni, Cu and Fe in vegetables are 1.5, 2.5, 1.5, 30 and 20-200µg/g dry weight respectively which are recommended by theJoint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives. From all theabove tables we found that the all concentration of heavy metals in different vegetables is below the safe limit.

CONCLUSIONS The magnitude of heavy metals detected in different kinds of leafy vegetables was arranged as Fe>Pb>Cu>Ni>Cd. Among all the leafy vegetables investigated, the high concentration of Iron metal is recorded in all vegetables. This study concludes that almost all the groups of leafy vegetables investigated, the heavy metal contents were found within acceptable limits and are safe for human consumption.

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