Assessment of the pollution levels of potential toxic elements in urban vegetable gardens in southwest China

Abstract Vegetable gardens are increasingly common in urban areas and can provide numerous societal benefits; however, contamination with potential toxic elements (PTEs) due to urbanization and industrialization is cause for concern. The present study aimed to assess the source of contamination and...

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Autores principales:	Jianing Gao, Dan Zhang, Ram Proshad, Ernest Uwiringiyimana, Zifa Wang
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2021
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/f0b71b247ab946d29d9c64d299eb6fc4
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:f0b71b247ab946d29d9c64d299eb6fc42021-11-28T12:20:43ZAssessment of the pollution levels of potential toxic elements in urban vegetable gardens in southwest China10.1038/s41598-021-02069-62045-2322https://doaj.org/article/f0b71b247ab946d29d9c64d299eb6fc42021-11-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-02069-6https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract Vegetable gardens are increasingly common in urban areas and can provide numerous societal benefits; however, contamination with potential toxic elements (PTEs) due to urbanization and industrialization is cause for concern. The present study aimed to assess the source of contamination and pollution levels in urban garden soils, as well as the health risks for adults and children consuming vegetables grown in such environments. Various types of vegetable samples and their corresponding soils from 26 community gardens were collected throughout Chengdu City in southwestern China. The results showed that leafy vegetables, particularly lettuce leaves and Chinese cabbage, had relatively higher levels of Cd (0.04 mg/kg FW) and Pb (0.05 mg/kg FW), while higher levels of As (0.07 mg/kg FW), Cr (0.07 mg/kg FW), and Hg (0.003 mg/kg FW) were found in amaranths, tomatoes, and Houttuynia cordatas, respectively. The pollution indices revealed that the vegetable purplish soils were relatively more polluted by Cd and As, and the concentrations of these metals in vegetables were correlated with their concentrations in the soils. Principal component analysis grouped the PTEs in two dimensions that cumulatively explained 62.3% of their variation, and hierarchical clustering identified two distinct clusters indicating that Cr originated from a unique source. The health risk assessment revealed that exposure to As and Cd induced the greatest non-carcinogenic risk, whereas Cr was most likely to cause cancer risks. Furthermore, contaminated vegetable consumption was riskier for children than adults. The critical factors contributing to PTE contamination in vegetable gardens were determined to be vegetable species, total soil element content, soil pH, and soil organic matter content. Overall, Cr and As pollution present the greatest concern, and community health care services must enact more effective regulatory and preventative measures for urban gardens in terms of PTEs.Jianing GaoDan ZhangRam ProshadErnest UwiringiyimanaZifa WangNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-13 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Jianing Gao Dan Zhang Ram Proshad Ernest Uwiringiyimana Zifa Wang Assessment of the pollution levels of potential toxic elements in urban vegetable gardens in southwest China
description	Abstract Vegetable gardens are increasingly common in urban areas and can provide numerous societal benefits; however, contamination with potential toxic elements (PTEs) due to urbanization and industrialization is cause for concern. The present study aimed to assess the source of contamination and pollution levels in urban garden soils, as well as the health risks for adults and children consuming vegetables grown in such environments. Various types of vegetable samples and their corresponding soils from 26 community gardens were collected throughout Chengdu City in southwestern China. The results showed that leafy vegetables, particularly lettuce leaves and Chinese cabbage, had relatively higher levels of Cd (0.04 mg/kg FW) and Pb (0.05 mg/kg FW), while higher levels of As (0.07 mg/kg FW), Cr (0.07 mg/kg FW), and Hg (0.003 mg/kg FW) were found in amaranths, tomatoes, and Houttuynia cordatas, respectively. The pollution indices revealed that the vegetable purplish soils were relatively more polluted by Cd and As, and the concentrations of these metals in vegetables were correlated with their concentrations in the soils. Principal component analysis grouped the PTEs in two dimensions that cumulatively explained 62.3% of their variation, and hierarchical clustering identified two distinct clusters indicating that Cr originated from a unique source. The health risk assessment revealed that exposure to As and Cd induced the greatest non-carcinogenic risk, whereas Cr was most likely to cause cancer risks. Furthermore, contaminated vegetable consumption was riskier for children than adults. The critical factors contributing to PTE contamination in vegetable gardens were determined to be vegetable species, total soil element content, soil pH, and soil organic matter content. Overall, Cr and As pollution present the greatest concern, and community health care services must enact more effective regulatory and preventative measures for urban gardens in terms of PTEs.
format	article
author	Jianing Gao Dan Zhang Ram Proshad Ernest Uwiringiyimana Zifa Wang
author_facet	Jianing Gao Dan Zhang Ram Proshad Ernest Uwiringiyimana Zifa Wang
author_sort	Jianing Gao
title	Assessment of the pollution levels of potential toxic elements in urban vegetable gardens in southwest China
title_short	Assessment of the pollution levels of potential toxic elements in urban vegetable gardens in southwest China
title_full	Assessment of the pollution levels of potential toxic elements in urban vegetable gardens in southwest China
title_fullStr	Assessment of the pollution levels of potential toxic elements in urban vegetable gardens in southwest China
title_full_unstemmed	Assessment of the pollution levels of potential toxic elements in urban vegetable gardens in southwest China
title_sort	assessment of the pollution levels of potential toxic elements in urban vegetable gardens in southwest china
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/f0b71b247ab946d29d9c64d299eb6fc4
work_keys_str_mv	AT jianinggao assessmentofthepollutionlevelsofpotentialtoxicelementsinurbanvegetablegardensinsouthwestchina AT danzhang assessmentofthepollutionlevelsofpotentialtoxicelementsinurbanvegetablegardensinsouthwestchina AT ramproshad assessmentofthepollutionlevelsofpotentialtoxicelementsinurbanvegetablegardensinsouthwestchina AT ernestuwiringiyimana assessmentofthepollutionlevelsofpotentialtoxicelementsinurbanvegetablegardensinsouthwestchina AT zifawang assessmentofthepollutionlevelsofpotentialtoxicelementsinurbanvegetablegardensinsouthwestchina
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Assessment of the pollution levels of potential toxic elements in urban vegetable gardens in southwest China

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