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Assessment of Heavy Metal Contamination and the Probabilistic Risk via Salad Vegetable Consumption in Tabriz, Iran

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Abstract

Considering the importance of vegetables as a source of micronutrients and fibers in a balanced diet, there is still a concern that vegetables could also be a source of toxic heavy metal contaminants. The study aimed to determine the concentrations of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn) in the salad vegetables sold in Tabriz city, Iran, and to evaluate the probabilistic health risk assessment. The amount of toxic metals in 240 samples was evaluated by atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) method. The average levels of toxic metals in the samples were found to be 1.59, 1.26, 1.42, 4.89, 13.38, 1.01, and 32.65 mg/kg for Pb, Cd, As, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn, respectively. According to the results, Zn and Cu had the highest concentration, whereas the lowest concentration belonged to Ni. The rank order of the toxic elements in the samples based on target hazard quotient (THQ) values was Cr > Cd > As > Pb > Cu> Zn > Ni, for both females and males. Leafy vegetables had a higher amount of total target hazard quotient (TTHQ) than tuber crops for both males and females. The carcinogenic risks of As and Pb were 0.032 and 0.03 in the females and 0.22 and 0.19 in males. According to the finding, there may be a potential risk of toxic metals, especially Cr, Cd, and As, for both females and males in Tabriz through the consumption of vegetables.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Nutrition and Food Science Faculty and the Vice Chancellor of Research of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran.

Funding

This research was supported by Vice Chancellor of Research of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences (grant number: 57870).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Student Research Committee, Drug Applied Research Center, Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Science, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

    Arezou Khezerlou

  2. Nutrition Research Center, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, 5166614711, Iran

    Parvin Dehghan

  3. Food Hygiene & Aquatic Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Tabriz University, Tabriz, Iran

    Mir-Hassan Moosavy

  4. Food Science and Technology Department, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Science, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

    Hojjat Kochakkhani

Authors
  1. Arezou Khezerlou
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  2. Parvin Dehghan
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  3. Mir-Hassan Moosavy
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  4. Hojjat Kochakkhani
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Correspondence to Parvin Dehghan.

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Khezerlou, A., Dehghan, P., Moosavy, MH. et al. Assessment of Heavy Metal Contamination and the Probabilistic Risk via Salad Vegetable Consumption in Tabriz, Iran. Biol Trace Elem Res 199, 2779–2787 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-020-02365-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-020-02365-8

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