Cadmium and lead contamination in vegetables collected from industrial, traffic and rural areas in Bursa Province, Turkey

Cadmium and lead contamination of vegetables produced in rural areas of Bursa Province, Turkey, was found to be less contaminated than vegetables grown close to heavy traffic and industrial activities. The highest levels of cadmium and lead were found in lettuce; the lowest levels in vegetables were found in leeks. The lead levels in spinach grown in traffic areas were at least twofold higher than those found in industrial areas. For other vegetables, the results from industrial and traffic areas were almost identical. Lettuce grown in traffic areas had the highest amount of cadmium (0.81 +/- 0.25 mg kg(-1)) and lead (1.59 +/- 0.45 mgkg(-1)), whilst leeks grown in rural areas had the lowest levels of lead (0.10 +/- 0.03 mgkg(-1)) and cadmium (0.05 +/- 0.01 mg kg(-1)) compared with other vegetables. This study shows that people and animals living in the same area in Bursa are always exposed to metallic pollution and in turn the consumption of contaminated vegetables could lead to increased dietary intake.