Effects of heavy metal concentrations (Cd, Zn and Pb) in agricultural soils near different emission sources on quality, accumulation and food safety in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill]

• Published in: Journal of hazardous materials Vol. 233-234; pp. 244 - 253
• Main Authors: Salazar, María Julieta, Rodriguez, Judith Hebelen, Nieto, Gastón Leonardo, Pignata, María Luisa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier B.V 30.09.2012; Elsevier
• Subjects: agricultural soils; Agriculture; Air Pollution; Analysis methods; Applied sciences; Argentina; bioaccumulation; Biological and medical sciences; cadmium; cattle; Emissions; Environmental Monitoring; Exact sciences and technology; Food Contamination - analysis; Food engineering; Food industries; Food safety; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Germination - drug effects; Glycine max; Glycine max - chemistry; Glycine max - drug effects; Glycine max - growth & development; Heavy metals; Humans; lead; meat consumption; Metals, Heavy - analysis; Metals, Heavy - toxicity; Plant Roots - chemistry; Plant Roots - drug effects; Plant Roots - growth & development; Plant Shoots - chemistry; Plant Shoots - drug effects; Plant Shoots - growth & development; pollutants; Pollution; rhizosphere; risk; Risk Assessment; seed quality; Seeds - chemistry; Seeds - drug effects; Seeds - growth & development; Soil and sediments pollution; Soil Pollutants - analysis; Soil Pollutants - toxicity; soybeans; zinc; Argentina; South America; America; Argentina; Food safety; Glycine max; Heavy metals; Emissions; Samplings; Pollutant emission; Transport process; Health and environment; Dicotyledones; Food industry; Angiospermae; Lead; Agriculture; Safety; Sampling; Hazard; Public health; Anthropogenic factor; Human; Cadmium; Farming animal; Pollutant behavior; Agricultural soil; Zinc; Heavy metal; Trace element; Rhizosphere; Leguminosae; Human activity; Producer; Pollution source; Poison; Spermatophyta; Biological accumulation
• ISSN: 0304-3894; 1873-3336
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2012.07.026

► Soybean grown near metal sources presents a toxicological hazard from heavy metals for Chinese consumers. ► Rhizosphere soil is the most suitable compartment for toxicological studies. ► Soil guidelines should be modified considering the exchangeable metals. Argentina is one of the major producers of soybean in the world, this generates a high global demand for this crop leading to find it everywhere, even close to human activities involving pollutant emissions. This study evaluated heavy metal content, the transfer of metals and its relation to crop quality, and the toxicological risk of seed consumption, through soil and soybean sampling. The results show that concentrations of Pb and Cd in soils and soybeans at several sites were above the maximum permissible levels. The heavy metal bioaccumulation depending on the rhizosphere soil compartment showed significant and high regression coefficients. In addition, the similar behavior of Cd and Zn accumulation by plants reinforces the theory of other studies indicating that these metals are incorporated into the plant for a common system of transport. On the other hand, the seed quality parameters did not show a clear pattern of response to metal bioacumulation. Taken together, our results show that soybeans grown nearby to anthropic emission sources might represent a toxicological hazard for human consumption in a potential Chinese consumer. Hence, further studies should be carried out taking into account the potential negative health effects from the consumption of soybeans (direct or indirect through consumption of meat from cattle) in these conditions.