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Evaluation of Trace Element Contamination and Health Risks of Medicinal Herbs Collected from Unpolluted and Polluted Areas in Sichuan Province, China

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Abstract

Trace element contamination in Chinese herbal medicines has been recognized as a potential health concern for consumers. To assess the health risk to the herb-consuming population, nine trace elements (Cu, Cd, Cr, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sr, Zn, and As) were investigated based on their concentrations in three common medicinal plants (Astragalus membranaceus, Codonopsis tangshen, and Paris polyphylla var. chinensis) and soils from unpolluted and polluted areas in the Sichuan Province, China. The results showed that the metal content differed significantly in medicinal plants and soils from unpolluted versus polluted areas. No significant differences in metal accumulation were observed for these CHMs grown in either unpolluted or polluted areas. Evaluation of the health risk index suggested that soil ingestion and medicated diet represented the dominant exposure routes, indicating that trace metal(loids) in local soil might pose potential risks through soil-food chain transfer. Hazard quotient values for AM (1.473) and CT (1.357) were higher than the standard value (HQ > 1), whereas the hazard indices for PC, AM, and CT were 13.18, 14.33, and 14.01 times higher than the safe limit (HI > 1) in the polluted area, indicating non-cancer-related health hazards. Ingestion of soil was responsible for 36.39 to 91.06% of the total cancer risk and medicated diet accounted for 6.35 to 62.71%, compared with inhalation and dermal contact, suggesting carcinogenic health risks in herbs from polluted soils. In this study, Pb showed relatively higher non-carcinogenic risks, while Cr and Ni posed the highest cancer risks. Therefore, we propose more effective measures, which should be considered for Cr, Ni, and Pb remediation in soil to reduce their pollution in the studied areas.

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Acknowledgments

We are very grateful to the anonymous reviewers for their comments, which helped us tremendously to improve the quality of this manuscript.

Funding

This work was supported by the Project of University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, the People’s Republic of China [Grant number: KFJ-FP-202006].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Mountain Surface Processes and Ecological Regulation, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, #9, Block 4, Renminnanlu Road, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan Province, People’s Republic of China

    Jianing Gao, Dan Zhang, Ernest Uwiringiyimana & Ram Proshad

  2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

    Jianing Gao, Ernest Uwiringiyimana & Ram Proshad

  3. Department of Environmental Engineering, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey

    Aysenur Ugurlu

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  1. Jianing Gao
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  2. Dan Zhang
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  3. Ernest Uwiringiyimana
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  4. Ram Proshad
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  5. Aysenur Ugurlu
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Contributions

Jianing Gao conceived and designed the experiments, and wrote the main manuscript text. Dan Zhang revised this manuscript critically for important content. Ernest Uwiringiyimana performed the experiments, and analyzed the data. Ram Proshad thoroughly revised and improved the manuscript. Aysenur Ugurlu provided influential ideas in the early stages of this study. All authors reviewed and approved this manuscript.

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Correspondence to Dan Zhang.

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Gao, J., Zhang, D., Uwiringiyimana, E. et al. Evaluation of Trace Element Contamination and Health Risks of Medicinal Herbs Collected from Unpolluted and Polluted Areas in Sichuan Province, China. Biol Trace Elem Res 199, 4342–4352 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-020-02539-4

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