Bioaccumulation and Human Health Risk Assessment of Arsenic and Chromium Species in Water–Soil–Vegetables System in Lephalale, Limpopo Province, South Africa

The accumulation of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in water, soil and vegetables can pose a severe threat to the respective organisms lead human health risks upon exposure. Water, vegetable samples were collected from Mokolo River its vicinity. Total concentration quantification speciation analysis chromium (Cr) arsenic (As) performed using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) high-performance liquid chromatography hyphenated (HPLC-ICP-MS), respectively. total concentrations Cr As below maximum permissible levels (MPLs) set by World Health Organization (WHO) South Africa’s Department Water Affairs Forestry (DWAF) for drinking water. quality guideline value 64.0 µg/g was surpassed most sites posed great risk growing it, whereas 12.0 one sampling site. observed high could be linked use fertilizers atmospheric deposits introduced through coal burning power stations. In vegetables, recommended MPL 0.5 µg/g, rendering unsafe consumption. Concentrations ranging 197 1180 ng/g 374 17400 detected Cr(VI) Cr(III), consumption containing would result adults children as hazard quotient (THQ) exceeded 1. some particularly cause serious THQ > 10 Cr-contaminated vegetables. incremental lifetime cancer (ILCR) threshold 1 × 10−4 exceeded, indicating that overall had children. This study suggests population.