Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Bibi, Zahara
• Khan, Zafar Iqbal
• Ahmad, Kafeel
• Ashraf, Muhammad
• Hussain, Abrar
• Akram, Nudrat Aisha

Titel

Vegetables as a Potential Source of Metals and Metalloids for Human Nutrition: A Case Study of Momordica charantia Grown in Soil Irrigated with Domestic Sewage Water in Sargodha, Pakistan

Ist Teil von

• Pakistan journal of zoology, 2014-06, Vol.46 (3)

Ort / Verlag

Lahore: Knowledge Bylanes

Erscheinungsjahr

2014

Quelle

EZB Electronic Journals Library

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia) grown around refuse and effluent sites of District Sargodha, Pakistan were analyzed for six metals and metalloids viz., cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), arsenic (As), zinc (Zn) and selenium (Se) by atomic absorption spectrophotometric method. Results showed that the concentrations of Co, Ni, Cu, As, Zn and Se at both sites were below the permissible limit. The levels of heavy metal and metalloid (mg/kg dry wt.) in vegetable at site-I were 0.83 for Co, 4.78 for Ni, 20.22 for Cu, 13.35 for As, 52.25 for Zn, 0.78 for Se and 0.874 for Co, 5.63 for Ni, 22.68 for Cu, 13.54 for As, 61.77 for Zn and 0.642 for Se at site-II. Transfer factors in the range of 0.049-10.97 were obtained, with Zn and Cu having the highest concentration factors of 10.97 and 2.46, respectively. The differences in uptake of these heavy metals and metalloids are ascribed to difference in tolerance to these metals by the vegetable species. The contamination factor at site-I was greater as compared to those observed at site-II. Concerning the eating habit of inhabitants, the daily intake of As, Cu, Zn and Ni was above the reference dose. Therefore, the intake of Momordica charantia was not safe for consumption in the sampling area. To reduce the health risk effects, it is suggested to treat the industrial wastes properly and phyto-extract the overload of heavy metals and metalloids from polluted sites.