Heavy metal contamination in vegetables by flash torch & battery manufacturing industry

Abstract

Pollution of the biosphere with heavy metal has accelerated dramatically during the last century, Unlike organic pollutants heavy metal are persistant environmental contaminant, which can not be chemically or biologically destroyed. In low concentration, several heavy metals such as Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu,Ni and Mo are essential micronutrients for plants. Elevated concentration of heavy metals in the soil surface cause a variety of environmental problems, including toxicity to plants, animal and humans. The objective of this study was to evaluate the level of heavy metal contamination in a field irrigated with flash torch & battery manufacturing industry effluent and accumulation, distribution of heavy metals in vegetables grown in contaminated fields .An attempt has also been made to evaluate the exposure risk of heavy metals to human beings. Cabbage were found to have translocation index more than 100 i.e 103.06 for Fe, While Cauliflower has translocation index 110.77 for Cu. These plant species can be suggested, as hyper accumulator species for Fe and Cu, but these plant species are edible plant hence can not be suggested to grow on metal contaminated site. The exposure risk levels of the exposed population groups to heavy metals, it is quite clear from the results that except Cu (1.08) none of the metal were found to exceed the RO value more than 1.0.While in case of Fe the RQ value were found 0.935 which is nearer to 1.0,

Keywords

• Heavy metals
• Vegetables
• Risk Quotient
• Translocation index