title: The importance of evaluating metal exposure and predicting human health risks in urban-periurban environments influenced by emerging industry.
abstract: The human population boom, urbanization and rapid industrialization have either directly or indirectly resulted in the serious environmental toxification of the soil-food web by metal exposure from anthropogenic sources in most of the developing industrialized world. The present study was conducted to analyze concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn in soil and vegetables in the urban-periurban areas influenced by emerging industry. Vegetables and their corresponding soil samples were collected and analyzed for heavy metals contents from six random sites. According to the results, the potential health risks from metals to the local communities were assessed by following the methodology described by the US-EPA. In general, the total non-carcinogenic risks were shown to be less than the limits set by the US-EPA. However, the potential risk of developing carcinogenicity in humans over a lifetime of exposure could be increased through the dietary intake of Cd, Cr and Ni. In some cases, Pb was also marginally higher than the safe level. It was concluded that some effective remedial approaches should be adopted to mitigate the risks of Cd, Cr, Ni and Pb in the study area because these metal levels have exceeded the safe limits for human health. However, new studies on gastrointestinal bioaccessibility in human are required to heighten our understanding about metals exposure and health risk assessment.
authors.affiliation: CAS-Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and the Environments, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China; Soil, Water and Environmental Chemistry Laboratory, Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan. Electronic address: balal@mail.ustc.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Balal
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yousaf
authors.affiliation: School of Resource and Environment, Anhui Agriculture University, Hefei 230026, PR China; Environmental Toxicology Lab, College of Earth and Environmental Science, University of the Punjab, Lahore 54590, Pakistan.
authors.lastname: Amina
authors.affiliation: CAS-Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and the Environments, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China. Electronic address: lgj@ustc.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Guijian
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: CAS-Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and the Environments, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China.
authors.forename: Ruwei
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Microelement Research Center, College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, PR China.
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Imtiaz
authors.affiliation: Microelement Research Center, College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, PR China.
authors.forename: Muhammad Shahid
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Rizwan
authors.affiliation: Soil, Water and Environmental Chemistry Laboratory, Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zia-Ur-Rehman
authors.affiliation: Environmental Toxicology Lab, College of Earth and Environmental Science, University of the Punjab, Lahore 54590, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Abdul
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Qadir
authors.affiliation: School of Resource and Environment, Anhui Agriculture University, Hefei 230026, PR China.
authors.forename: Youbin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Si
mesh_terms: D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007221:Industry; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis*; D010154:Pakistan; D011897:Random Allocation; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D013383:Suburban Population; D014505:Urban Population; D014675:Vegetables / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants
keywords: Cancer risk; Dietary intake; Industrial influence; Metal exposures; Non-carcinogenic risk; Urban–periurban environment