Appraisal of Heavy Metal Contents in Different Vegetables Grown in the Vicinity of an Industrial Area

The contents of lead (Pb), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), zinc (Zn) and cadmium (Cd) in various leafy vegetables viz., spinach, coriander, lettuce, radish, cabbage and cauliflower grown in an effluent irrigated fields in the vicinity of an industrial area of Faisalabad, Pakistan were assessed using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The concentrations of Pb, Cu, Cr, Zn and Cd in the leaves, stems and roots of spinach, coriander, lettuce, radish, cabbage and cauliflower were found to be 1.1331−2.652, 1.313-2.161, 1.121-2.254; 0.252-0.923, 0.161-0.855, 0.221-0.931; 0.2170.546, 0.376-0.495, 0.338-0.511; 0.461-1.893, 0.361-0.874, 0.442-1.637; 0.033-0.073, 0.017-0.061, 0.011-0.052 mg kg on dry matter basis, respectively. The contents of Cu, Zn, Cr, Pb and Cd were below the recommended maximum acceptable levels proposed by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives. The leaves of spinach, cabbage, cauliflower, radish and coriander contained higher concentrations of Cu (0.923 mg kg), Cd (0.073 mg kg), Cr (0.546 mg kg), Zn (1.893 mg kg) and Pb (2.652 mg kg) as compared to other parts of each vegetable. High concentrations of heavy metals as analyzed in the present analysis of different parts of the vegetables might be related to their concentration in the soils irrigated with industrial waste water.