Assessment of potentially toxic elements in vegetables cultivated in urban and peri-urban sites in the Kurdistan region of Iraq and implications for human health

Hawrami, Karzan; Crout, Neil; Shaw, George; Bailey, Elizabeth H.

Abstract

Vegetable fields in and around urban areas in the Kurdistan region of Iraq may have higher than background concentrations of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) from contamination sources including municipal waste disposal and waste water used for irrigation. The purpose of this study was to assess PTE concentrations in soils and the edible parts of field-grown vegetables to quantify potential health risks to the local population. In this survey, 174 soils and 26 different vegetable and fruit types were sampled from 15 areas around Sulaymaniyah and Halabja cities. Sampling was undertaken from fields in urban, peri-urban and rural locations including sites close to areas of waste disposal.

The soils are calcareous (pH 7.67 - 8.21) and classified as silty loam, sandy or silty clay with organic matter content between 6.62 and 11.4%. Concentrations of PTEs were typically higher in waste disposal areas compared with urban, peri-urban and rural areas. Pollution load indices (PLI) suggested that agricultural soils near waste disposal sites were contaminated with some trace elements. Potentially toxic element concentrations in vegetables were highly variable. Higher total concentrations of PTEs were measured in vegetables from the waste areas with decreasing concentrations in urban, peri-urban and rural areas. Risks to human health were assessed using hazard quotients (HQ). Vegetable consumption poses no risk for adults whereas children might be exposed to Ni, As and Cd. Although HQs suggest elevated risk for children from consumption of some vegetables, these risks are likely to be lower when realistic dietary consumption levels are considered.

Citation

Hawrami, K., Crout, N., Shaw, G., & Bailey, E. H. (2020). Assessment of potentially toxic elements in vegetables cultivated in urban and peri-urban sites in the Kurdistan region of Iraq and implications for human health. Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 42(5), 1359–1385. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-019-00426-z

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 16, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Oct 5, 2019
• Publication Date: May 1, 2020
• Deposit Date: Sep 16, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 6, 2020
• Journal: Environmental Geochemistry and Health
• Print ISSN: 0269-4042
• Electronic ISSN: 1573-2983
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 42
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 1359–1385
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-019-00426-z
• Keywords: Kurdistan, Urban and peri-urban agriculture, Potentially toxic elements (PTEs), Risk assessment
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2619958
• Publisher URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10653-019-00426-z
• Additional Information: This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Environmental Geochemistry and Health. The final authenticated version is available online at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10653-019-00426-z
• Contract Date: Sep 17, 2019