Human health risks of trace metals through the dietary intake of potato tubers and exposures of potato cultivating soils: A case study of Mymensingh district, Bangladesh

Background: Trace metal contamination in soil and farm products is common in Bangladesh, which enhances public awareness. Most of the studies in our country ignored potential human health risks from different routes of exposures to trace metals present in potato tubers and potato-growing soils. Objectives: The study objectives were to measure trace metals pollution level in soils, and to evaluate human health risks due to dietary intake of potato tubers, as well as ingestion, dermal and inhalation exposures of potato-cultivating soils of Mymensingh district, Bangladesh. Methods: An atomic absorption spectrophotometer was used to determine Cd, Ni, Pb, Cr, Cu, Zn, Fe, Co, and Mn in the extract of soils and potato tubers. The study employed contamination factor (CF), pollution load index (PLI), and potential ecological risk index (PERI) to evaluate the level of soil pollution. Non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic human health risks were assessed based on calculated Hazard Quotient and Cumulative Incremental Lifetime Cancer Risk (∑ILCR), respectively. Results: A threshold of ''moderate contamination'' (1.0 ≤ CF ILCRSoil ingestion >ILCRDermal adsorption >ILCRSoil inhalation. Conclusion: The agricultural soils of Bangladesh are becoming progressively degraded due to multiple contamination causes along with trace metals. The investigation recommended that future traceability efforts focus on locating possible sites of entry for toxic metals into the nation's food supply chain

Trace elements exposure through the dietary intake of fruits and vegetables collected from a divisional city of Bangladesh: Human health implications

Background: Dietary exposure is the main source of bioaccumulation of trace elements through contaminated fruits and vegetables, which are rich sources of vitamins and minerals, but also toxic elements, which harm our health and well-being. Objectives: This study focused on human health nutrition and risks associated with the cancer-causing and non-cancerous trace elements in commonly available winter fruits and vegetables collected from Mymensingh divisional city markets. Methods: Six locally available fruits (viz. pineapple, guava, hog plum, water chestnut, banana, Indian olive) and six seasonal vegetables (viz. red amaranth, radish leaves, brinjal, bottle gourd, radish, and carrot) were collected. The atomic absorption spectrophotometer was used to determine the contents of Zn, Fe, Mn, Cu, Pb, Cr, and Cd. Target Hazard Quotient (THQ), Hazard Index (HI), and Cumulative Incremental Lifetime Cancer Risk (∑ILCR) were calculated to estimate non-cancer and cancer health risks. Results: All trace element contents were higher in vegetables than in fruits except Cu. Chromium contents were below the detectable limit for all fruits and vegetables. The highest amounts of Zn (10.54 µg g−1 fresh wt.), Fe (68.75 µg g−1 fresh wt.) and Mn (55.65 µg g−1 fresh wt.) were found in radish leaves. On the other hand, the maximum amounts of Pb (0.388 µg g−1 fresh wt.) and Cd (0.180 µg g−1 fresh wt.) were found in red amaranth, while the highest content of Cu (5.67 µg g−1 fresh wt.) was determined from banana. The calculated HI was <1 in every case except red amaranth suggesting none of the fruit and other vegetable samples poses individual non-cancerous risk after consumption. On the other hand, the measured ILCR values for Cd for both males and females ranged from 1.51E-04 to 6.45E-03 and 2.12E-04 to 9.03E-03, respectively, indicating cancer risk in all fruit and vegetable samples, either individually or cumulatively. Conclusion: The locally available fruits and vegetables of the Mymensingh divisional city area posed significant human health risks. However, regular monitoring of toxic metal contents is necessary to ensure the food safety of locally grown indigenous fruits and vegetables for the city dwellers