Dynamics of Metal Distribution in Cultivated Soil and Vegetables in Vicinity to Industrial Deposition: An Inference to Chemical Contamination of Food Chain

The present study demonstrates accumulation and distribution of heavy metals (Fe, Cr, Cd, Pb & Cu) in cultivated soil and vegetables, and its potential implication to health risk via consumption of contaminated vegetables. Deposition of atmospheric metals results significant enrichment of metal contents (Pb=1.6, Cu=1.4 & Cd=15.9) in cultivated soil. Elevated metal content in soil facilitate higher metal accumulation in growing vegetables through root uptake and also by leaf absorption. Results show noticeably higher metal translocation (>1) from soil to roots (TFr) and shoots (TFs), followed by higher metal accumulation in leafy shoots (except R. sativa). In sampled vegetables, estimated hazard quotient (HQ) for individual metal does not exceed the safe limit, but integrated hazard quotient (IHQ) in L. esculanta is above the safe limit (1.33) and incredibly close in R. sativa (0.97) and S. oleracia 0.93) to cause health hazard. Dynamics of Metal Distribution in Cultivated Soil and Vegetables in Vicinity to Industrial Deposition: An Inference to Chemical Contamination of Food Chain Sumanta Nayek, Basic Science Department, EIILM University, Sikkim, India Suprakash Roy, Department of Chemistry, Malda Govt. Polytechnic College, Malda, West Bengal, India Suvanka Dutta, Department of Chemistry, National Institute of Technology, Durgapur, India Rajnarayan Saha, Department of Chemistry, National Institute of Technology, Durgapur, India Tanmoy Chakraborty, Department of Chemistry, Manipal University Jaipur, Rajasthan, India