Determination of metals of toxicological significance in sewage irrigated vegetables by using atomic absorption spectrometry and anodic stripping voltammetry.

Soil and vegetable samples drawn from the fields being irrigated by the city sewage have been analysed for some toxic metals namely copper, iron, cadmium, lead and chromium using atomic absorption spectrometry and anodic stripping voltammetry. It has been found that these vegetables contain an appreciable amount of these metals per unit dry mass, which the general public is ingesting everyday. It is further seen from the differential results that the fields being irrigated with the sewage water for the last so many years till date as compared to the ones, irrigation of which was replaced with the tubewell water some ten years ago, that the content of toxic metals is much larger in the former case. The results and the gravity of the situation is discussed.