Health Risk Assessment on Heavy Metals and Metalloids in Soil and Vegetables of Greenhouse

Objectives In order to improve the early warning ability and safety of vegetable health risk, the risk of food safety and health was monitored from table to field, and the vegetable soil and vegetable heavy metals and mettalloids (lead, cadmium, arsenic and mercury) were monitored, and the levels of pollution and health risk was evaluated.

Methods Taking the soil of vegetable planting in Yichun as an example, the contaminatine index of heavy metals and metlalloids in soils of Yichun were evaluated by single pollution index method. The health risk levels of 4 kinds of heavy metals and metal like metals in vegetables were evaluated by the the target hazard quotient (THQ) method of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA).

Results The average value of lead, cadmium, arsenic and mercury pollution index of 48 parts of the vegetable soil were 0.21, 0.31, 0.072 and 0.18, respectively. The levels of heavy metals and metlalloids in the 384 vegetable samples were not exceeding the standards.

Conclusions environmental pollution of heavy metals and mettalloids in greenhouse vegetable soils in Yichun are still in a clean state. The heavy metal and mettalloids levels in protected vegetables are still at a safe level for human health risks.