Health risk assessment of heavy metals (Cd, Pb, and Cr) in cultivated rice of Kor river basin in Kamfiruz District, Fars Province, Iran

Document Type : Original research

Authors

1 Department of Nature Engineering, Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University of Khuzestan, Mollasani, Iran

2 Department of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University of Khuzestan, Mollasani, Iran

3 Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran

10.22059/jfabe.2024.377782.1178

Abstract

The dangers of heavy metals in rice have received much attention in the world. The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the contamination status and health risk of Kamfiruz rice in Fars province, Iran. The results showed that the average concentrations of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and Chromium (Cr) in rice were (0.034-0.069), (0.129-0.186), and (0.354-0.426) mg kg-1 respectively. Among them, the concentration of Pb in rice grown in the lower reaches of the Kor River was 20% higher than the Iranian standard. The consumption of rice didn't have a specific non-carcinogenic risk for consumers (target hazard quotient, hazard index, and hazard quotient < 1), except the hazard index in the downstream areas (1.04 - 1.14). In contrast, rice was considered a threat in terms of carcinogenic risks (CR). In this study, CR values of Cd and Cr in rice were > 1×10-4, while this value was in the safe range for Pb (<1×10-4), however TCR of all HMs had carcinogenic risk (> 1×10-4). According to the results, the continuous monitoring of rice samples is essential to mitigate exposure to toxic metals through rice ingestion in the region.

Keywords

Main Subjects

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