A review on heavy metal and metalloid contamination of vegetables: addressing the global safe food security concern

An uncontrolled industrialisation and urbanisation have caused environmental contamination with toxic inorganic and organic substances. The enormous release of industrial wastewater, industrial sludge, electronic waste, domestic waste and excess use of synthetic and pesticides fertilisers are the major causes of environmental pollution. Contamination of agricultural goods is directly related with the health of human beings as well as entire ecosystem. Among the agricultural crops, vegetables are generally cultivated near the river basins owing to the irrigation water availability and good fertility of the soil. The presence of heavy metal and metalloids (HMMs) like cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), copper (Cu), arsenic (As), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), mercury (Hg), zinc (Zn) in the vegetable cultivated and marketed across the world is a challenging concern. Periodical identification and quantification of the contaminants especially HMMs in the vegetables is an important aspect for the good health of human beings and global safe food security. In the present review, the level of HMMs in the commonly grown vegetables in from thirty countries has been discussed.

无节制的工业化与城市化进程，使得环境遭受有毒无机与有机物质的污染。工业废水、工业污泥、电子废弃物、生活垃圾的大量排放，以及合成肥料与农药的过量施用，是引发环境污染的主要诱因。农产品污染直接关乎人类健康与整个生态系统的健康。在各类农作物中，蔬菜通常因灌溉水源充足、土壤肥力优异而被种植于河流流域周边。全球各地种植并流通的蔬菜中，镉（Cd）、铅（Pb）、铜（Cu）、砷（As）、钴（Co）、镍（Ni）、汞（Hg）、锌（Zn）等重金属与类金属（heavy metal and metalloids, HMMs）的残留问题，已成为一项亟待解决的严峻挑战。定期对蔬菜中的污染物，尤其是HMMs开展识别与定量分析，对保障人类健康与全球粮食安全至关重要。本综述对30个国家常见种植蔬菜中的HMMs含量水平进行了探讨。