Abstract
Concentrations of heavy metals (As, Cd, Pb, Cu, Ni, Fe, Mn, and Zn) in market vegetables and fishes in Beijing, China, are investigated, and their health risk to local consumers is evaluated by calculating the target hazard quotient (THQ). The heavy metal concentrations in vegetables and fishes ranged from not detectable (ND) to 0.21 mg/kg fresh weight (f.w.) (As), ND to 0.10 mg/kg f.w. (Cd), and n.d to 0.57 mg/kg f.w. (Pb), with average concentrations of 0.17, 0.04, and 0.24 mg/kg f.w., respectively. The measured concentrations of As, Cd, Pb, Cu, Ni, Fe, Mn, and Zn are generally lower than the safety limits given by the Chinese regulation safety and quality standards of agriculture products (GB2762-2012). As, Cd, and Pb contaminations are found in vegetables and fishes. The exceeding standard rates are 19 % for As, 3 % for Cd, and 25 % for Pb. Pb contaminations are found quite focused on the fish samples from traditional agri-product markets. The paper further analyzed the health risk of heavy metals in vegetables and fishes respectively from supermarkets and traditional agri-product markets; the results showed that the fishes of traditional agri-product markets have higher health risk, while the supermarkets have vegetables of higher heavy metal risk, and the supervision should be strengthened in the fish supply channels in traditional agri-product markets.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Al Rmalli S, Haris PI, Harrington CF, Ayub M (2005) A survey of arsenic in foodstuffs on sale in the United Kingdom and imported from Bangladesh. Sci Total Environ 337:23–30
Arora M, Kiran B, Rani S, Rani A, Kaur B, Mittal N (2008) Heavy metal accumulation in vegetables irrigated with water from different sources. Food Chem 111:811–815
Bai H (2005) Lead, chromium and cadmium content analysis and safety evaluation in vegetables in Taiyuan. J China Saf Sci (in Chinese) 14:78–81
Chen T-B, Song B, Zheng Y-M, Huang Z-C, Zheng G-Q, Li Y-X, Lei M, Liao X-Y (2006) Arsenic concentration and health risk analysis of vegetables and soils in Beijing. Geogr J (in Chinese) 297:10
Das H, Mitra AK, Sengupta P, Hossain A, Islam F, Rabbani G (2004) Arsenic concentrations in rice, vegetables, and fish in Bangladesh: a preliminary study. Environ Int 30:383–387
Demirezen D, Aksoy A (2006) Heavy metal levels in vegetables in Turkey are within safe limits for Cu, Zn, Ni and exceeded for Cd and Pb. J Food Qual 29:252–265
Fu J, Zhou Q, Liu J, Liu W, Wang T, Zhang Q, Jiang G (2008) High levels of heavy metals in rice (Oryzasativa L.) from a typical E-waste recycling area in southeast China and its potential risk to human health. Chemosphere 71:1269–1275
Han B-C, Jeng W, Chen R, Fang G, Hung T, Tseng R (1998) Estimation of target hazard quotients and potential health risks for metals by consumption of seafood in Taiwan. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 35:711–720
Handy R (1996) Dietary exposure to toxic metals in fish, Seminar series-society for experimental biology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 29–60
Has-Schön E, Bogut I, Strelec I (2006) Heavy metal profile in five fish species included in human diet, domiciled in the end flow of River Neretva (Croatia). Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 50:545–551
Ikem A, Egiebor NO (2005) Assessment of trace elements in canned fishes (mackerel, tuna, salmon, sardines and herrings) marketed in Georgia and Alabama (United States of America). J Food Compos Anal 18:771–787
Ip C, Li X, Zhang G, Wong C, Zhang W (2005) Heavy metal and Pb isotopic compositions of aquatic organisms in the Pearl River Estuary, South China. Environ Pollut 138:494–504
Järup L (2003) Hazards of heavy metal contamination. Br Med Bull 68:167–182
Jiang C-Z, Zhang L-J, Rong L-J, Yu A-F, Qi M (2007) Investigation and evaluation of fresh aquatic products of heavy metal content in Ningbo. Chin J Health Lab Technol (in Chinese) 17:1866–1867
Kachenko AG, Singh B (2006) Heavy metals contamination in vegetables grown in urban and metal smelter contaminated sites in Australia. Water Air Soil Pollut 169:101–123
Li X-D, Hua R-M, Yue Y-D, Cao D-J, Yuan L-Z, Shen W-W (2004) Pollution and assessment of metal Chromium, lead, cadmium and copper in vegetables in Hefei, China. J Anhui Agric Univ (in Chinese) 31:143–147
Petroczi A, Naughton D (2009) Mercury, cadmium and lead contamination in seafood: a comparative study to evaluate the usefulness of Target Hazard Quotients. Food Chem Toxicol 47:298–302
Qian Y-Z, Chen C, Zhang Q, Li Y, Chen Z-J, Li M (2010) Concentrations of cadmium, lead, mercury and arsenic in Chinese market milled rice and associated population health risk. Food Control 21:1757–1763
Shen T, Sheng S, Ma S (2005) Lead, cadmium content condition and control countermeasures in vegetables in Changsha. Hunanagricultural science (in Chinese). 62-63
Song B, Lei M, Chen T, Zheng Y, Xie Y, Li X, Gao D (2009) Assessing the health risk of heavy metals in vegetables to the general population in Beijing, China. J Environ Sci 21:1702–1709
Wang X-L, Sato T, Xing B-S, Tao S (2005) Health risks of heavy metals to the general public in Tianjin, China via consumption of vegetables and fish. Sci Total Environ 350:28–37
Wang X-J, Diao F-Y, Zhang J, Guo D-M, Cui X (2011) Investigation of lead, cadmium, arsenic content of investigation and the evaluation of the pollution in market-selling fishes in Ji'nan. J Shandong Univ (in Chinese) 49:153–155
Xiao X-Y, Chen T-B, Liao X-Y, Yan X-L, Xie H, Wu B, Wang L-X (2009) Comparison of concentrations and bioconcentration factors of arsenic in vegetables, grain and oil crops in China. J Environ Sci 29:291–296
Yang Q-W, Li H, Long F-Y (2007) Heavy metals of vegetables and soils of vegetable bases in Chongqing, southwest China. Environ Monit Assess 130:271–279
Yang Q-W, Xu Y, Liu S-J, He J-F, Long F-Y (2011) Concentration and potential health risk of heavy metals in market vegetables in Chongqing, China. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 74:1664–1669
Yi Y, Yang Z, Zhang S (2011) Ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in sediment and human health risk assessment of heavy metals in fishes in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River basin. Environ Pollut 159:2575–2585
Zhang C-L, Bai H-Y (2001) Valuing soil and vegetable polluted by heavy mental in suburb of Nanning [J]. J Guangxi Agric Biol Sci (in Chinese) 3:007
Zheng N, Wang Q-C, Zhang X-W, Zheng D-M, Zhang Z-S, Zhang S-Q (2007a) Population health risk due to dietary intake of heavy metals in the industrial area of Huludao city, China. Sci Total Environ 387:96–104
Zheng N, Wang Q-C, Zheng D-M (2007b) Health risk of Hg, Pb, Cd, Zn, and Cu to the inhabitants around Huludao Zinc Plant in China via consumption of vegetables. Sci Total Environ 383:81–89
Zhuang P, McBride M-B, Xia H, Li N-Y, Li Z-A (2009) Health risk from heavy metals via consumption of food crops in the vicinity of Dabaoshan mine, South China. Sci Total Environ 407:1551–1561
Zu Y-Q, Li Y, Chen H-Y, Chen J-J (2003) Kunming vegetables and the soil in the lead, cadmium, copper and zinc levels, and the evaluation of the pollution in the vegetables and soils in Kunming. Yunnan Environ Sci 22:55–57
Acknowledgments
This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant no. 41001329) and the special fund for the Public Service Sector of the State Environmental Protection Agency of China (Grant nos. 201009026 and 201209020) and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2013M540122).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Additional information
Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Fang, Y., Nie, Z., Liu, F. et al. Concentration and health risk evaluation of heavy metals in market-sold vegetables and fishes based on questionnaires in Beijing, China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 21, 11401–11408 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3127-x
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3127-x