PJB-2022-117
Assessment of chromium toxicity and potential health implications of agriculturally grown crops in Pakistan
Shahzad Akhtar
Abstract
In many developing countries, where wastewater irrigation has become common, the accumulation of heavy metals by crops treated with wastewater has been regarded as a severe environmental hazard. The toxic chemical element chromium (Cr) in agricultural soils and food crops, as well as the potential damage to human health, were the focus of the present study, conducted at District Sargodha in Punjab, Pakistan. Samples of eleven food crops, soil, with three treatments wastewater, canal water, and tube well water were collected from three distinct sites Sargodha city, Sahiwal, and Shahpur and evaluated for Cr concentration. The results indicate that the ranges of chromium metal in the water, soil and crop samples were from 0.011 to 0.067 mg/l, 0.223-2.49 mg/kg and 0.17-1.74 mg/kg, respectively. The Cr in water, soil and crop samples was within the permissible limits of the World Health Organization (WHO). There was a positive correlation between chromium concentration in soil and crop samples. The bioconcentration factor and enrichment factor were greater than 1, indicating a high level of soil contamination and the influence of natural and anthropogenic sources of heavy metal accumulation in soils. The pollution load index (PLI), daily intake of metal (DIM), health risk index (HRI) and target hazard quotient (THQ) of metal values were less than 1, indicating that toxic metals were present in lower quantities in food crops and had no carcinogenic effects on consumers. Consistent monitoring of water quality, crops and soil and better agricultural practices that inhibit metals from entering agricultural food are ways to reduce the potential health risks to consumers.
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