PJB-2023-124
Assessment of health risks associated with citrus fruits exposed to heavy metal toxicity in diverse irrigation regimes
Zafar Iqbal Khan, Kafeel Ahmad, Umer Farooq Awan, Naunain Mehmood, Asma Ashfaq, Mahrukh Mumtaz, Hafsa Memoona, Ahmad Muneeb, Abdulwahed Fahad Alrefaei and Muhammad Arsalan Ashraf
Abstract
Heavy metals play a very important role in plant development, but exposure to these essential compounds at higher concentrations cause severe toxic effects in plants. Heavy metals are regarded as fundamental food supply pollutants due to their endurance, biomagnification, and non-biodegradability. Elevated trace metal levels in the diet imply a possible risk to human and environmental health. Despite that, these trace metals are an important part of our food. The present study was conducted at Tehsil Sargodha (Site FW-I and SW-II), Punjab, Pakistan to analyze Copper (Cu), Cobalt (Co), Nickel (Ni) and Zinc (Zn) concentration in water, soil and citrus fruits (Citrus limetta and Citrus sinensis). The samples were analyzed with the help of atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The assessment of the bio-concentration factor (BCF), daily intake of metal (DIM), pollution load index (PLI), enrichment factor (EF), and health risk index (HRI) were carried out in the present findings. The EF of Co and PLI of Copper were remarked as more than 1 while other indices were found less than 1 for Cu, Co, Ni and Zn, indicated that fruits cultivated in water rich soil were not harmful, therefore heavy metal analysis was necessary to assess the extent of environmental contamination.
To Cite this article:
Khan, Z.I., K. Ahmad, U.F. Awan, N. Mehmood, A. Ashfaq, M. Mumtaz, H. Memoona, A. Muneeb, A.F. Alrefaei and M.A. Ashraf. 2024. Assessment of health risks associated with citrus fruits exposed to heavy metal toxicity in diverse irrigation regime. Pak. J. Bot., 56(4): DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30848/PJB2024-4(25)
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