Heavy Metal Contamination in Oryza sativa L. at the Eastern Region of Malaysia and Its Risk Assessment

Nur Syahirah Zulkafflee, Nurul Adillah Mohd Redzuan, Sara Nematbakhsh, Jinap Selamat, Mohd Razi Ismail, Sarva Mangala Praveena, Soo Yee Lee and Ahmad Faizal Abdull Razis
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Nur Syahirah Zulkafflee: Department of Food Science, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia
Nurul Adillah Mohd Redzuan: Department of Food Science, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia
Sara Nematbakhsh: Laboratory of Food Safety and Food Integrity, Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Food Security, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia
Jinap Selamat: Department of Food Science, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia
Mohd Razi Ismail: Laboratory of Climate-Smart Food Crop Production, Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Food Security, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia
Sarva Mangala Praveena: Laboratory of Food Safety and Food Integrity, Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Food Security, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia
Soo Yee Lee: Natural Medicines and Products Research Laboratory, Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia
Ahmad Faizal Abdull Razis: Department of Food Science, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 2, 1-22

Abstract: Paddy plants tend to accumulate heavy metals from both natural and anthropogenic sources, and this poses adverse risks to human health. The objective of this study was to investigate heavy metal contamination in paddy plants in Kelantan, Malaysia, and its health risk assessment. The bioaccumulation of heavy metals was studied by means of enrichment (EF) and translocation factors (TF). The health risk assessment was performed based on USEPA guidelines. The EF for heavy metals in the studied areas was in the descending order of Cu > As > Cr > Cd > Pb. Meanwhile, Cr and Pb exhibited higher TF values from stem to grain compared with the others. The combined hazard index (HI) resulting from five heavy metals exceeded the acceptable limit (HI >1). The lifetime cancer risk, in both adult and children, was beyond the acceptable limit (10 −4 ) and mainly resulted from exposure. The total cancer risk (CRt) due to simultaneous exposures to multiple carcinogenic elements also exceeded 10 −4 . In conclusion, intake of heavy metal through rice ingestion is likely to cause both non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks. Further research is required to investigate the extent of heavy metal contamination in agricultural soils and, moreover, to establish human exposure as a result of rice consumption.

Keywords: heavy metals; enrichment factor; translocation factor; health risk assessment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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