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Assessment of heavy metals (total chromium, lead, and manganese) contamination of residential soil and homegrown vegetables near a former chemical manufacturing facility in Tarnaveni, Romania

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Abstract

Our aim was to assess local population exposure to heavy metals resulting from soil and vegetable contamination in Tarnaveni, Romania, an area located near a former chemical factory. We collected residential soil and vegetable samples from Tarnaveni and measured chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), and manganese (Mn) levels by atomic absorption spectrometry. We evaluated the relationship between soil and vegetable metals and the distance from the shuttered chemical factory, and calculated the hazard index to assess local population metal exposure via contaminated vegetable ingestion. Soil metal concentrations ranged between 15.6 and 525.8 mg/kg for total Cr, between 25.4 and 559.5 mg/kg for Pb, and between 363.1 and 1389.6 mg/kg for Mn. We found average concentrations of 17.8 mg/kg for total Cr, 2.2 mg/kg for Pb, and 116.6 mg/kg for Mn in local vegetables. We found soil concentrations for all three metals that exceeded normal background levels according to Romanian regulations (Pb exceeded 100 mg/kg in some of the samples), as well as measurable concentrations of metals in all analyzed vegetable samples. These preliminary data underscore a need for a more extensive investigation into associated adverse health effects in the exposed population.

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Funding

The financial support for this research was provided by “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca (grant no. 7690/71/15.04.2016). The funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

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  1. Iulia A. Neamtiu contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1st Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 3-5 Clinicilor Street, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

    Razvan G. Mihaileanu, Mihai Surcel & Florin Stamatian

  2. IMOGEN Research Institute, Pasteur Street, f.n., Cluj-Napoca, Romania

    Razvan G. Mihaileanu, Iulia A. Neamtiu & Florin Stamatian

  3. Municipal Hospital “Dr. Gheorghe Marinescu”, 2 Victor Babes Street, Tarnaveni, Romania

    Razvan G. Mihaileanu

  4. Department of Health, Environmental Health Center, 58 Busuiocului Street, 400240, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

    Iulia A. Neamtiu & Eugen Gurzau

  5. Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Babes-Bolyai University, 30 Fantanele Street, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

    Iulia A. Neamtiu, Cristian Pop & Carmen Roba

  6. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University at Albany, State University of New York, One University Place, Rensselaer, NY, USA

    Molly Fleming & Michael S. Bloom

  7. Cluj School of Public Health, College of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences, Babes-Bolyai University, 7 Pandurilor Street, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

    Cristian Pop & Eugen Gurzau

  8. Physico-chemical and Biotoxicological Analysis Laboratory, Environmental Health Center, 58 Busuiocului Street, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

    Cristian Pop

  9. Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University at Albany, State University of New York, One University Place, Rensselaer, NY, USA

    Michael S. Bloom

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  1. Razvan G. Mihaileanu
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  2. Iulia A. Neamtiu
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Correspondence to Iulia A. Neamtiu.

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Mihaileanu, R.G., Neamtiu, I.A., Fleming, M. et al. Assessment of heavy metals (total chromium, lead, and manganese) contamination of residential soil and homegrown vegetables near a former chemical manufacturing facility in Tarnaveni, Romania. Environ Monit Assess 191, 8 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-018-7142-0

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