Journal
HELIYON
Volume 9, Issue 5, Pages -Publisher
CELL PRESS
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16005
Keywords
Heavy metals; Korle lagoon catchment; Human health risk assessment; Dietary intake
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The concentration of heavy metals in vegetables and soil within the Korle Lagoon's catchment is high, posing potential health risks, especially to children. Some vegetables exceed the recommended guideline levels. It is concluded that vegetables grown in this area are not suitable for consumption.
The Korle lagoon is known to have high concentration of heavy metals. The use of land for agriculture and water for irrigation within the Korle Lagoon's catchment constitutes a potential health risk. Due to this, the study assessed the concentration of heavy metals in some vegetables (Amaranth, Spinach, Eggplant, Lettuce, Cauliflower, and Onion) and their corresponding soil from a farm within the Korle Lagoon's catchment. The estimated daily intake (EDI), hazard quotient (HQ), and lifetime cancer risk (LCR) was used to assess their health risks. Among the vegetables tested, heavy metals in lettuce exceeded their recommended guideline level. Addi-tionally, the concentrations of Fe (265.94-3599.60 mg/kg) and Zn (76.77-294.70 mg/kg) in all vegetables were above the recommended guideline level. Also, Zn (227.30-534.57 mg/kg) and Pb (101.53-407.58 mg/kg), in soil were above the recommended guideline level for soil. The results also showed not only the severity of heavy metal pollution of soil in the study area, but also risks that were deemed carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic to both adults and children as a result of consumption of vegetables from the study area. The hazard index for adults (0.46-41.156) and children (3.880-384.122), were high for all vegetables tested and are associated with cancer risk due to high Cr and Pb levels. The risk assessment showed that children may suffer more carci-nogenic and noncarcinogenic health risk than adults. The study concluded that vegetables grown within the Korle lagoon's catchment is not suitable for consumption due to the associated adverse health effect.
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