Determination of Some Selected Heavy Metals in Wheat and Pepper Samples Collected from Gaziantep (Türkiye)

It is very important for the environment and human health to determine the level of accumulation of pollutants in the soil and in the edible parts of plants, especially as a result of the intensive use of chemicals in agricultural activities. For this reason, this study was carried out to determine the heavy metal levels (Cd, Pb, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe and Co) of wheat grain, red pepper and samples of soil from Nurdağı and Islahiye districts where intensive agricultural activities are carried out in Gaziantep (Türkiye). Sampling of agricultural products and their cultivated soils was made at harvest time. The Cd and Pb levels of red pepper and the Cd, Pb and Cr levels of the soil collected from Nurdağı were generally higher than those of FAO/WHO limits. Lead content of wheat grain collected from Nurdağı and Cd and Pb contents of soil samples were also higher than the permissible limits. On the other hand, Cd levels of red pepper and soil samples from Islahiye were higher than those of the FAO/WHO limits. In addition, it was determined that Pb and Cr levels of wheat and Cd and Pb levels of soil samples from Islahiye were generally above permissible limits. On the other hand, in the samples collected from Nurdağı, the highest bioaccumulation factor (BAF) values were calculated for Cd, Cu and Zn in red pepper and for Cu, Zn and Pb in wheat grains. Considering the samples collected from Islahiye, the highest BAF values were calculated in Zn, Cr and Pb for red pepper, and Zn, Cd and Cu for wheat grains. As a result, the concentrations of some heavy metals such as Cd, Pb and Cr were found to be higher than the recommended limits. It was concluded that the reason for this is the intense application of agricultural activities, especially pesticides and inorganic fertilizers, in both districts.