Institute of Food Science and Nutrition, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, 60800, Pakistan.
National Institute of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Food, Nutrition and Home Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, 38000, Pakistan.
Environ Geochem Health. 2021 Dec;43(12):5025-5035. doi: 10.1007/s10653-021-00940-z. Epub 2021 Apr 23.
Arsenic (As) is one of the most toxic metalloids for humans. Above permissible levels of As cause severe health implications. Contaminated drinking water and food items may be the leading sources of As exposure to people all around the world. The current study assessed the levels of As in drinking water, vegetables, irrigation water, agricultural soils, and the human population (adult women and men) of rural and peri-urban areas of Multan (Pakistan). For a comparison between peri-urban (exposed site) and rural areas (control site), we sampled irrigation water, vegetables and vegetable-grown soils, drinking water, and human blood. In all sample types, As concentration was significantly higher at exposed site than at control site. Alarmingly, As concentration in drinking groundwater (34 µg As L) of exposed site was 3.4-folds higher than the permissible limit (set by WHO). Among the studied vegetables, the cumulative daily dietary intake of As was recorded maximum by the consumption of okra (474 ng d on exposed site) and minimum by long melon (1 ng d on control site). However, As intake via drinking water was estimated to contribute ≥ 98% of total As intake at both sites. Hence, the health risks associated with drinking As-contaminated groundwater were recorded much higher than the health risks associated with the consumption of As-contaminated vegetables. Blood As levels in most of the subjects at exposed site exceeded the safe limit of 12 µg L. Conclusively, the findings of the current study indicated that drinking contaminated groundwater may be the major cause of As-associated health risks in the region.
砷（As）是对人类毒性最大的金属元素之一。超过允许水平的砷会对健康造成严重影响。受污染的饮用水和食品可能是全世界人们接触砷的主要来源。本研究评估了巴基斯坦木尔坦农村和城郊地区饮用水、蔬菜、灌溉水、农业土壤和成年男女（暴露组）的砷含量。为了比较城郊（暴露组）和农村（对照组），我们采集了灌溉水、蔬菜和蔬菜种植土壤、饮用水和人血样本。在所有样本类型中，暴露组的砷浓度明显高于对照组。令人震惊的是，暴露组地下饮用水（34μg As/L）中的砷浓度比世界卫生组织（WHO）规定的允许限度高出 3.4 倍。在所研究的蔬菜中，在暴露组，食用秋葵（474ng/d）的砷日均摄入量最高，在对照组，食用长瓜（1ng/d）的砷日均摄入量最低。然而，通过饮用水摄入的砷估计占两个地点总砷摄入量的≥98%。因此，与食用受污染蔬菜相关的健康风险远低于与饮用受污染地下水相关的健康风险。暴露组大多数受试者的血液砷水平超过了 12μg/L 的安全限值。总之，本研究结果表明，饮用受污染的地下水可能是该地区与砷相关的健康风险的主要原因。
