Human health risk assessment of dietary metal intake through commonly consumed vegetables in Gaya District, Bihar, India

This study assessed the concentration of Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, and Zn in commonly grown vegetables collected from the Gaya district of Bihar. Metals were determined using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry following sample preparation and digestion. As, Cr, Ni, Pb and Zn exceeded the maximum allowable concentration of Food and Agricultural Organization in some of the vegetable samples. Non-carcinogenic human health risk assessment due to ingestion of vegetables was estimated using Hazard Quotient (HQ) and Hazard Index (HI) which revealed that non-carcinogenic risks were primarily due to Co, followed by Cr and Fe. The risk was higher in the leafy and underground vegetables as compared to the fruit vegetables. Of all the locations, the highest risk was estimated for Fatehpur, followed by Manpur and Bodhgaya, which was attributed to the anthropogenic activities of the locations. The HI exceeded unity in 64.3% of the vegetable samples, indicating potential health risks to the consumers and suggesting that vegetables from some locations in the Gaya district might have food safety issues. Periodic soil testing, irrigation water management, and avoidance of leafy vegetables from polluted sites are suggested to lower the health risks associated with vegetable consumption.