Heavy Metal Accumulation in Goosefoot (Chenopodium album L.) Irrigated With Wastewater

Wastewater sources contain enormous amounts of nutrients for plant growth. This study aimed to define the metal accumulation in the goosefoot plant (Chenopodium album L.) of wastewater use in agricultural irrigation and to evaluate the risks of this accumulation to human health. The present research was performed in field conditions in Khushab, Pakistan. The Cd, Cu, Cr, Fe, Zn, Ni, and Mn concentrations were determined with the analysis performed using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer-AAS. Heavy metal concentrations in goosefoot samples irrigated with groundwater (GWI), canal water (CWI) and sugar mill water (MWI) ranged from 0.84 to 1.08, 0.55 to 0.78, 0.23 to 0.70, 2.09 to 5.56, 2.84 to 13.53, 0.53 to 1.13 and 0.32 to 0.39 mg/kg for Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Zn, and Mn, respectively. According to the statistical analyses, wastewater applications had a non-significant effect on Cr, Cu, and Zn concentrations in C. album samples collected from three sites, and a significant effect on Cd, Fe, Mn, and Ni concentrations (p>0.05). The results also showed that the health risk index value of cadmium was higher than 1. According to these results, long-term consumption of C. album samples grown in the study area may cause an accumulation of Cd in the human body and diseases in many tissues and organs

Health risk assessment of heavy metals in wheat using different water qualities: implication for human health

In the recent years, the use of sewage water for irrigation has attracted the attention of arid and semi-arid countries where the availability of fresh water is poor. Despite the potential use of sewage water in crop irrigation as effective and sustainable strategy, the environmental and human risks behind this use need to be deeply investigated. In this regard, an experiment was carried out under field conditions in Nursery, University College of Agriculture Sargodha, to evaluate the possible health risks of undesirable metals in wheat grains. Wheat variety Sarang was cultivated and irrigated with different combinations of ground (GW) and sewage water (SW). The concentrations of heavy metals (Cr, Cd, Ni, and Pb) and trace elements (Cu, Zn, and Fe) in wheat grains as well as in soil were determined. Moreover, the pollution load index (PLI), accumulation factor (AF), daily intake of metals (DIM), and health risk index (HRI) were calculated. Results showed that the concentration trend of heavy metals was P

Neurosurgery activity levels in the United Kingdom and republic of Ireland during the first wave of the covid-19 pandemic - a retrospective cross-sectional cohort study

The impact of Covid-19 on surgical patients worldwide has been substantial. In the United Kingdom (UK) and the Republic of Ireland (RoI), the first wave of the pandemic occurred in March 2020. The aims of this study were to: (1) evaluate the volume of neurosurgical operative activity levels, Covid-19 infection rate and mortality rate in April 2020 with a retrospective cross-sectional cohort study conducted across 16 UK and RoI neurosurgical centres, and (2) compare patient outcomes in a single institution in April-June 2020 with a comparative cohort in 2019. Across the UK and RoI, 818 patients were included. There were 594 emergency and 224 elective operations. The incidence rate of Covid-19 infection was 2.6% (21/818). The overall mortality rate in patients with a Covid-19 infection was 28.6% (6/21). In the single centre cohort analysis, an overall reduction in neurosurgical operative activity by 65% was observed between 2020 (n = 304) and 2019 (n = 868). The current and future impact on UK neurosurgical operative activity has implications for service delivery and neurosurgical training