ACCUMULATION OF LEAD AND ARSENIC BY CARROTS GROWN ON LEAD-ARSENATE CONTAMINATED ORCHARD SOILS

Concerns have been raised of possible human food chain transfer of lead and arsenic from crops grown on orchard soils with histories of lead arsenate use. The objective of this study was to determine arsenic and lead uptake by three cultivars of carrots grown on four orchard soils with histories of lead arsenate use. Total concentrations of arsenic and lead in these soils ranged from 93 to 291 and from 350 to 961 mg kg(-1) for arsenic and lead, respectively. Arsenic in peeled carrot ranged from 0.38 to 1.64 mg kg(-1), while lead ranged from 2.67 to 7.3 mg kg(-1) dry weight. This study demonstrated that carrots will accumulate arsenic and lead in the root, which may become a human health risk when consumed. However, further studies are needed to determine what fraction of arsenic and lead in these carrots are bioavailable to humans when consumed.