Abstract
This study was conducted to determine concentrations of five toxic trace elements (Cr, Ni, As, Cd, and Pb) in cereals, fruits, and vegetables of Bangladesh. The range of mass fractions (mg/kg) of Cr, Ni, As, Cd, and Pb in the foodstuffs was 0.090–2.5, 0.03–2.6, 0.13–1.7, 0.010–0.74, and 0.37–2.2, respectively. This study indicates that concentration of Cr, and Pb in fruits; As, Cd, and Pb in vegetables were higher than WHO/FAO maximum allowable concentration levels. The hazard index (HI) values for adults and children of the toxic elements in studied cereals, fruits and vegetables were higher than 1.0, suggesting non-carcinogenic adverse health hazard to the consumers. The estimated target carcinogenic risk (TCR) values were greater than the threshold level of 1.0 × 10−4 for Cr and Cd in cereals and vegetables indicate potential cancer risk to both adults and children for consumption of the foodstuffs. The present study reveals that trace elements contamination in foodstuffs is a serious issue of concern in Bangladesh.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Marriott NG, Schilling MW, Gravani RB (2018) Food contamination sources. In Principles of food sanitation. Springer, Cham 83–91
Khan MA, Khan S, Khan A, Alam M (2017) Soil contamination with cadmium, consequences and remediation using organic amendments. Sci Total Environ 601:1591–1605
Latif SA, Afroj D, Hossain SM, Uddin MS, Islam, MA, Begum K, Oura Y, Ebihara M, Katada (2009) Determination of toxic trace elements in foodstuffs, soils and sediments of Bangladesh using instrumental neutron activation analysis. Bull Environm Contam Toxicol 82:384–388
Mansour SA, Belal MH, Abou-Arab AA, Gad MF (2009) Monitoring of pesticides and heavy metals in cucumber fruits produced from different farming systems. Chemosphere 75:601–609
Islam MA, Ebihara M (2017) Elemental characterization of Japanese green tea leaves and tea infusion residue by neutron-induced prompt and delayed gamma-ray analysis. Arab J Chem 10:S677–S682
Ladha JK, Pathak H, Tirol-Padre A, Dawe D, Gupta RK (2003) Productivity trends in intensive rice-wheat cropping systems in Asia. Improving the productivity and sustainability of rice-wheat systems: issues and impacts, (improving the pro), 45–76
Rahman MA, Rahman MM, Reichman SM, Lim RP, Naidu R (2014) Heavy metals in Australian grown and imported rice and vegetables on sale in Australia: health hazard. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 100:53–60
Rahman M, Islam MA, Khan RA (2018) Characterization of chemical elements in common spices of Bangladesh for dietary intake and possible health risk assessment by INAA and AAS techniques. J Radianal Nucl Chem 318:1347–1357
Pandey G, Madhuri S (2014) Heavy metals causing toxicity in animals and fishes. Vet Fishery Sci 2:17–23
Kloke A, Sauerbeck DR, Vetter H (1984) The contamination of plants and soils with heavy metals and the transport of metals in terrestrial food chains. In: Changing metal cycles and human health. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, pp 113–141
Hossain MF (2006) Arsenic contamination in Bangladesh-an overview. Agric Ecosyst Environ 113:1–16
Bahemuka TE, Mubofu EB (1999) Heavy metals in edible green vegetables grown along the sites of the Sinza and Msimbazi rivers in dares salaam. Tanzania Food Chem 66:63–66
Cobb GP, Sands K, Waters M, Wixson BG, Dorward-King E (2000) Accumulation of heavy metals by vegetables grown in mine wastes. Environ Toxicol Chem 19:600–607
Zamora-Ros R, Beraud V, Franceschi S, Cayssials V, Tsilidis KK, Boutron-Ruault MC, Bonnet F et al (2018) Consumption of fruits, vegetables and fruit juices and differentiated thyroid carcinoma risk in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. Int J Cancer 142:449–459
Das NG, Huque KS, Amanullah SM, Dharmapuri S, Makkar HPS (2018) Study of chemical composition and nutritional values of vegetable wastes in Bangladesh. Vet Anim Sci 5:31–37
Meharg AA, Rahman MM (2003) Arsenic contamination of Bangladesh paddy field soils: implications for rice contribution to arsenic consumption. Environ Sci Technol 37:229–234
Begum BA, Kim E, Biswas SK, Hopke PK (2004) Investigation of sources of atmospheric aerosol at urban and semi-urban areas in Bangladesh. Atmos Environ 38:3025–3038
Islam MA, Latif SA, Hossain SM, Uddin MS, Podder J (2011) Concentration and distribution of trace elements in coals and ashes of Barapukuria thermal power plant, Bangladesh. Energy Sources, Part A 33:392–400
Halim MA, Majumder RK, Nessa SA, Oda K, Hiroshiro Y, Saha BB, Hossain SM, Latif SA, Islam MA, Jinno K (2009) Groundwater contamination with arsenic in Sherajdikhan, Bangladesh: geochemical and hydrological implications. Environ Geol 58:73–84
Saha N, Zaman MR (2013) Evaluation of possible health risks of heavy metals by consumption of foodstuffs available in the central market of Rajshahi City. Bangladesh Environ Monit Assess 185:3867–3878
Islam MS, Ahmed MK, Habibullah-Al-Mamun M (2014) Heavy metals in cereals and pulses: health implications in Bangladesh. Agric Food Chem 62:10828–10835
Shaheen N, Irfan NM, Khan IN, Islam S, Islam MS, Ahmed MK (2016) Presence of heavy metals in fruits and vegetables: health risk implications in Bangladesh. Chemosphere 152:431–438
Singh A, Sharma RK, Agrawal M, Marshall FM (2010) Health risk assessment of heavy metals via dietary intake of foodstuffs from the wastewater irrigated site of a dry tropical area of India. Food Chem Toxicol 48:611–619
Bode P (1996) Instrumental and organizational aspects of a neutron activation analysis laboratory Interfaculty Reactor Institute, Delft University of Technology, Delft, p 147
Begaa S, Messaoudi M (2018) Thermal neutron activation analysis of some toxic and trace chemical element contents in Mentha pulegium L. Radiochim Acta 106:769–774
HIES (Household Income and Expenditure Survey) (2011) Preliminary report on household income and expenditure survey-2010. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, Statistics Division, Ministry of Planning, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Islam MS, Ahmed MK, Habibullah-Al-Mamun M, Raknuzzaman M (2015) The concentration, source and potential human health risk of heavy metals in the commonly consumed foods in Bangladesh. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 122:462–469
USEPA (2015) Risk based screening table. Composite table: summary tab 0615. Accessible at. http://www2.epa.gov/risk/riskbasedscreeningtablegenerictables (accessed on 25 September, 2018)
Islam MS, Ahmed MK, Habibullah-Al-Mamun M, Masunaga S (2014) Trace metals in soil and vegetables and associated health risk assessment. Environ Monit Assess 186:8727–8739
Zheng N, Wang Q, Zhang X, Zheng D, Zhang Z, Zhang S (2007) Population health risk due to dietary intake of heavy metals in the industrial area of Huludao city. China Sci Total Environ 387:96–104
Vincent JB (2001) The bioinorganic chemistry of chromium (III). Polyhedron 20:1–26
Codex Alimentarius Commission [FAO/WHO] (2001) Food additives and contaminants. Joint FAO/WHO food standards program. ALINORM 01/12A, PP.1–289.ftp://ftp.fao.org/Codex/Reports/Alinorm01/al01_27e.pdf
Fu J, Zhou Q, Liu J, Liu W, Wang T, Zhang Q, Jiang G (2008) High levels of heavy metals in rice (Oryza sativa L.) from a typical E-waste recycling area in Southeast China and its potential risk to human health. Chemosphere 71:1269–1275
Ahmad JU, Goni MA (2010) Heavy metal contamination in water, soil, and vegetables of the industrial areas in Dhaka. Bangladesh. Environ Monit Assess 166:347–357
Massadeh AM, Allah A, Al-Massaedh T (2018) Determination of heavy metals in canned fruits and vegetables sold in Jordan market. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25:1914–1920
Pan XD, Wu PG, Jiang XG (2016) Levels and potential health risk of heavy metals in marketed vegetables in Zhejiang. China Sci Rep 6:20317
Sultana MS, Rana S, Yamazaki S, Aono T, Yoshida S (2017) Health risk assessment for carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic heavy metal exposures from vegetables and fruits of Bangladesh. Cogent Environ Sci 3
Islam MS, Ahmed MK, Habibullah-Al-Mamun M, Eaton DW (2017) Arsenic in the food chain and assessment of population health risks in Bangladesh. Environ Systems Decisions 37:344–352
Das HK, Mitra AK, Sengupta PK, Hossain A, Islam F, Rabbani GH (2004) Arsenic concentrations in rice, vegetables, and fish in Bangladesh: a preliminary study. Environ Int 30:383–387
Al-Rmalli SW, Jenkins RO, Haris PI (2012) Dietary intake of cadmium from Bangladeshi foods. J Food Sci 77:T26–T33
Zhong T, Xue D, Zhao L, Zhang X (2018) Concentration of heavy metals in vegetables and potential health risk assessment in China. Environ Geochem Hlth 40:313–322
Islam MS, Ahmed MK, Habibullah-Al-Mamun M, Masunaga S (2015) Assessment of trace metals in foodstuffs grown around the vicinity of industries in Bangladesh. J Food Comp Anal 42:8–15
Islam R, Kumar S, Karmoker J (2017) Heavy metals in common edible vegetables of industrial area in Kushtia, Bangladesh: a health risk study. Environ Sci: An Indian J 13:150
Taiwo AM, Oyebode AO, Salami FO, Okewole I, Gbogboade AS, Agim C, Davidson N (2018) Carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic evaluations of heavy metals in protein foods from southwestern Nigeria. J Food Comp Anal 73:60–66
Sofuoglu SC, Kavcar P (2008) An exposure and risk assessment for fluoride and trace metals in black tea. J Hazardous Mater 158:392–400
USEPA (2010) Risk-based concentration table, 〈http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/risk/human/index〉, accessed on 25 September 2018
Parveen R, Rahman SS, Sultana SA, Habib ZH (2015) Cancer types and treatment modalities in patients attending at Delta medical college hospital. Delta Medical College J 3:57–62
Hussain SMA (2013) Comprehensive update on cancer scenario of Bangladesh. South Asian J cancer 2:279
Costa M, Klein CB (2006) Toxicity and carcinogenicity of chromium compounds in humans. Cri Rev Toxicol 36:155–163
McElroy JA, Shafer MM, Trentham-Dietz A, Hampton JM, Newcomb PA (2006) Cadmium exposure and breast cancer risk. J Natl Cancer Inst 98:869–873
GeoReM: A new geochemical database for reference materials and isotopic standards, Max-Planck-Institut für Chemie, Postfach 3060, D-55020 Mainz, Germany (accessed on 25 September, 2018)
RDA (1989) Recommended dietary allowance, 10th ed. National Academic Press, Washington, DC
WHO (1996) Guidelines for drinking-water quality, 2nd Ed.2. World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
JECFA (2003) Summary and conclusions of the 61st meeting of the joint FAO/WHO. Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), JECFA/61/SC. Rome, Italy 2003
FAO/WHO (2002) Codex Alimentarius general standards for contaminants and toxins in food. Schedule maximum and guideline levels for contaminants and toxins in food. Reference CX/FAC 02/16. Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme, Codex committee, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
FAO/WHO (2011) Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods, Food CF/5 INF/1. Fifth session. The Hague, The Netherlands. ftp://ftp.fao.org/codex/meetings/CCCF/cccf5/cf05_INF.pdf
Acknowledgments
The authors thank the staffs of Environmental Engineering Laboratory, Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST), Dhaka, Bangladesh, for providing laboratory facilities for this study.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Declaration of Interest
There are no interests to declare. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rahman, M., Islam, M.A. Concentrations and Health Risk Assessment of Trace Elements in Cereals, Fruits, and Vegetables of Bangladesh. Biol Trace Elem Res 191, 243–253 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-018-1596-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-018-1596-3