The health risk of the agricultural production in potentially contaminated sites: an environmental-health risk analysis

Rural areas are often interested by pollution phenomena generated by agricultural activities with a high use of pesticides and/or by anthropic activities, such as industrial plants or illegal waste disposal sites, which may cause even long-range contamination. The risk for human health from the pollutants present in the environment can be quantitatively evaluated by the environmental health risk analysis set out in the Italian Legislative Decree no. 152/2006 (Italian Regulation, 2006). This analysis is the best technical-normative tool to estimate the health risks linked to the pollutants present in the environment but it does not consider the specificity of agricultural soils or the contamination of agricultural products. This study aims to provide this missing technical-normative data by identifying and applying a suitable methodology to evaluate the health risk caused by the ingestion of agricultural products grown in contaminated soils. The risk analysis was applied to two contaminated areas in southern Italy using an innovative methodology based on widely accepted parameters for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) soil-plant bio-transfer factor in the case of horticultural crops. In addition, some concentration limits of PAHs in agricultural soils are proposed that may be of help to the competent authorities (health agencies, local authorities) in delineating the areas requiring strict health surveillance of the food products cultivated. Introduction Rural areas may be interested by the presence of polluting substances that may compromise the chemical-physical and microbiological quality of the environment and of the food products cultivated there. In fact, some pollutants accumulate and remain in the soil for long periods of time, are absorbed by the plants and then transferred to the food chain with potential risks for human health (Pasetto et al., 2007; Petruzzelli and Pedron, 2007; Violante et al., 2007). The transfer of organic and inorganic pollutants from the environment to agricultural products occurs through the absorption by leaves and roots (Sharma and Tripathi, 2009) and subsequent translocation via xylem transport (Bell, 1992; Environment Agency, 2006). The high lipid content of plant tissues determines the absorption and bioaccumulation of lipophilic organic pollutants (ARPA Puglia, 2010a and 2010b), such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticides. The primary modality of human exposure to PAHs is the consumption of contaminated agricultural products (Khillare et al., 2012). This exposure can cause cancers of lung, respiratory system, urinary tract and bladder (Bosetti et al., 2007). There is a confirmed link between diet, exposure to PAHs and the different forms of cancer (Lee and Shim, 2007; Yoon et al., 2007). Heavy metal absorption and bioaccumulation in plant species occurs through the root apex and is strongly related to their bioavailability and the chemical-physical characteristics of the soil (D’Aprile, 2006). The primary means of human exposure to heavy metals is their intake with food (Scharma et al., 2008). This may cause adverse health effects, such as cardiovascular and nervous system diseases (IPCS INCHEM, 1992). At present, there are no standards for health risk assessment related to agricultural environment pollution (Beccaloni et al., 2010). The methodology used for health and environmental risk analysis is regulated by the Italian Legislative Decree no. 152/2006 (Italian Regulation, 2006) and can be integrated in order to assess the human health risk associated with ingestion of agricultural products grown in polluted areas (Russo and Verdiani, 2012). The health and environmental risk analysis is, in fact, an advanced procedure for the quantitative assessment of the risks related to the presence of pollutants (Cicero and Scaini, 2010). This allows the identification of the threshold concentration of riskthat, if exceeded, determines that the site is contaminated. The use of health and environmental risk analysis, regulated by Italian Standards, is required when concentrations of pollutants in environmental matrices are above the threshold concentrations of contamination established by the Italian Legislative Decree no. 152/06, Table 1, Part IV, Annex 5 (Italian Regulation, 2006). These concentrations vary according to the use made of the sites and they are specifically differentiated into public or private green areas, residential areas (part A of Table 1, Italian Regulation, 2006) or industrial sites (part B of that Table, Italian Correspondence: Giuseppe Verdiani, Department of Agro Environmental Sciences (DISAAT), University of Bari, via Amendola 165/A 70126 Bari, Italy. Tel./Fax: +39.3404619902. E-mail: [email protected]