Heavy Metal Concentrations and Associated Health Risks in Edible Vegetables Sold in Selected Market in Alimosho, Lagos State, Nigeria

The concentrations of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) in fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis), locally known as ugwu, and okra (Abelmoschus esculentus), from a selected local market in Alimosho Local Government Area, Lagos State, Nigeria was evaluated. The samples were analysed using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS), and toxicological data were converted to a fresh weight baseline to accurately evaluate human health risks. Human health risk exposure was appraised for the local adult cohort using the Estimated Daily Intake (EDI), Hazard Quotient (HQ), Hazard Index (HI), and Lifetime Carcinogenic Risk (CR) indices based on standard regional ingestion rates (65 g/day for ugwu; 50 g/day for okra) and an average adult body weight of 60 kg. The analytical results revealed dry weight concentrations of 0.01 ± 0.01 mg/kg Cd, 0.05 ± 0.01 mg/kg Pb, and 54.11 ± 1.48 mg/kg Zn in ugwu, and 0.03 ± 0.02 mg/kg Cd, 0.15 ± 0.02 mg/kg Pb, and 11.07 ± 0.07 mg/kg Zn in okra. Based on regional moisture benchmarks, all heavy metal contents fell safely below the maximum permissible limits formalized by the FAO/WHO. Hazard Index was 0.0302 for ugwu and 0.0096 for okra; which are substantially below 1.0, the dietary intake of these crops poses no chronic non-carcinogenic health hazards to consumers. Furthermore, the lifetime incremental carcinogenic risk metrics for Pb in both vegetables (<10-7) and Cd in ugwu 5.76 x 10-7 were classified as toxicologically negligible.