Heavy Metal Contamination in Soil and Vegetables: A Review with Health Risk Assessments

Abstract

Since the dawn of time, plant-based foodstuffs have been an indispensable component of human nutrition. This hasn't evolved, but the heavy metal contamination of soil and edible vegetable portions is currently a global grave threat to the environment. One of the predominant components contributing to agricultural contamination includes heavy metals. Anthropogenic activities and rapid industrialization can introduce dangerous and invisible heavy metals throughout the soil, water, air, and plants, among other environmental components. In addition to being critical for plants to flourish consistently, heavy metals also play substantial functions in basic nucleic acid metabolisms, electron transfer, redox reactions, and as direct participants in several enzymes. It is crucial that these vital metals be present in growth media at a certain concentration, yet an excess of them might have detrimental consequences ranging from deadly ailments. The article reviewed the existing understanding of how those released toxic heavy metals penetrate the food chain, biomagnify into cells when they are consumed as vegetables, and cause potentially catastrophic consequences to health. These harmful metals have a significantly higher propensity to bioaccumulate and turn deadly in human beings.