Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Bruce, Australia.
Integr Environ Assess Manag. 2020 May;16(3):362-377. doi: 10.1002/ieam.4237. Epub 2020 Feb 24.
Food crops can be used as biomonitors to assess potential public health food safety hazards from contaminated agricultural environments. Globally, more than 800 million people grow fruits, vegetables, and grains on urban garden soils with unknown health risks. This worldwide practice has exposed consumers to pathogenic and carcinogenic risks from locally grown and imported contaminated foodstuffs such as Amaranthus cruentus and Zea mays, traditional and widely consumed crops across the globe. This study used Z. mays and A. cruentus crops to investigate the occurrence and spatial variations of aluminum (Al), chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), arsenic (As), selenium (Se), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), and lead (Pb) concentrations across the Mbale dumpsite, Uganda. Mean concentrations for Fe, Al, Zn, Mn, and Cu were high in both crops, whereas Pb, Cr, Co, Cd, As, Hg, Se, and Ni occurred in trace amounts. Using the 2 crops as biomonitors, significant variations for Al, Zn, Fe, Cr, and Co concentrations in individual crops were identified across the dump center, hill slope, and riverbank. The variations in Al, Zn, Fe, Cr, and Co concentrations were specific for crop types, crop parts, and location. The highest overall accumulation of metals was at the dump center and in crop leaves. Except Pb concentrations in Z. mays seeds, Cr, Pb, Zn, and Al concentrations in other crop parts were above World Health Organization/Food and Agricultural Organization consumer food safety limits. Therefore, Z. mays and A. cruentus consumption could pose health risks to consumers. Further health assessments and potential regulations are recommended to reduce potential health risks from metals in crops for human consumption. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2020;16:362-377. © 2019 SETAC.
食用作物可用作生物监测器，以评估受污染农业环境对公众健康的潜在食品安全危害。在全球范围内，有超过 8 亿人在城市花园土壤上种植水果、蔬菜和谷物，但这些土壤的健康风险未知。这种全球性的做法使消费者面临着来自当地种植和进口的受污染食物（如苋属植物和玉米）的致病和致癌风险，这些食物是全球范围内传统和广泛食用的作物。本研究使用玉米和苋菜作物来调查铝（Al）、铬（Cr）、铁（Fe）、锰（Mn）、钴（Co）、镍（Ni）、铜（Cu）、锌（Zn）、砷（As）、硒（Se）、镉（Cd）、汞（Hg）和铅（Pb）浓度在乌干达姆巴莱垃圾场的发生和空间变化。在这两种作物中，Fe、Al、Zn、Mn 和 Cu 的平均浓度都很高，而 Pb、Cr、Co、Cd、As、Hg、Se 和 Ni 的浓度则很低。使用这两种作物作为生物监测器，在垃圾场中心、山坡和河岸的个别作物中发现了 Al、Zn、Fe、Cr 和 Co 浓度的显著变化。Al、Zn、Fe、Cr 和 Co 浓度的变化因作物类型、作物部位和地点而异。金属的总体积累量最高的是在垃圾场中心和作物叶片中。除了玉米种子中的 Pb 浓度外，其他作物部位中的 Cr、Pb、Zn 和 Al 浓度均高于世界卫生组织/粮农组织的消费者食品安全限量。因此，玉米和苋菜的食用可能会对消费者的健康构成威胁。建议进一步进行健康评估和潜在监管，以降低人类食用作物中金属的潜在健康风险。综合环境评估与管理 2020；16：362-377。©2019SETAC。
