Risk assessment of heavy metals consumption through onion on human health in Iran

doi:10.1016/j.fochx.2022.100283

. 2022 Mar 10:14:100283.

doi: 10.1016/j.fochx.2022.100283. eCollection 2022 Jun 30.

Risk assessment of heavy metals consumption through onion on human health in Iran

Samira Shokri¹, Narges Abdoli², Parisa Sadighara¹, Amir Hossein Mahvi³, Ali Esrafili⁴, Mitra Gholami⁴, Behrooz Jannat⁵, Mahmood Yousefi⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Environmental Health, Food Safety Division, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
² Iran Food and Drug Administration, Ministry of Health, Tehran, Iran.
³ Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁴ Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁵ Halal Research Center, Food and Drug Administration, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran.

PMID: 35296041
PMCID: PMC8918858
DOI: 10.1016/j.fochx.2022.100283

Risk assessment of heavy metals consumption through onion on human health in Iran

Samira Shokri et al. Food Chem X. 2022.

. 2022 Mar 10:14:100283.

doi: 10.1016/j.fochx.2022.100283. eCollection 2022 Jun 30.

Authors

Samira Shokri¹, Narges Abdoli², Parisa Sadighara¹, Amir Hossein Mahvi³, Ali Esrafili⁴, Mitra Gholami⁴, Behrooz Jannat⁵, Mahmood Yousefi⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Environmental Health, Food Safety Division, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
² Iran Food and Drug Administration, Ministry of Health, Tehran, Iran.
³ Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁴ Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁵ Halal Research Center, Food and Drug Administration, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran.

PMID: 35296041
PMCID: PMC8918858
DOI: 10.1016/j.fochx.2022.100283

Abstract

Considering the importance of onions consumption in the household diet, controlling of heavy elements' concentration in foodstuffs is important to ensure the safety of an individual's health. This study aimed to evaluate the risk of heavy metals through onion consumption on human health. In this cross-sectional experimental study, 22 onion samples with varieties red, yellow, and white in the two autumn and winter seasons in 2020 were randomly collected from the different provinces of Kurdistan, Hamedan, and Kermanshah. The concentrations of heavy metals were evaluated with an atomic absorption spectrometer. The risks of human health were evaluated by the hazard quotient (HQ) and the obtained results were analyzed with one-way ANOVA and one sample t-test. The obtained findings demonstrated that all collected samples contained heavy metals. For example, the cadmium (Cd) concentration in onion samples in the province of West Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, Hormozgan, Isfahan, and Zanjan was 526.49, 274.49, 69.77, 67.39, 65.69 µg kg^-1, respectively. While the standard specified in Iran for the concentration of Cd in onions is 50 μg kg^-1. However, the rate of lead (Pb) contamination in samples collected from Isfahan, Hormozgan, Zanjan Khuzestan, Tehran (Varamin) was 296.50, 266.71, 261.49, 215.64, 106.19 µg kg^-1, respectively, which less than maximum allowable limit recommended by WHO-FAO (300 µg kg^-1). The HQ for non-cancerous diseases for Cd and Pb were 8.6 × 10^-2 and 1.6 × 10^-1, respectively, and the probability of carcinogenic risk for Pb (8.1 × 10^-4) was at the level of acceptable. There is no concern about the non-carcinogenic diseases and carcinogenic risk of consuming heavy metals in onion. Therefore, for optimal management and prevention of further pollution, it is recommended to study the origin and determine the amounts of heavy metals for their potential contamination of foodstuffs from the region's soil, water, and dust.

Keywords: Carcinogenic risk; Hazard index; Heavy metals; Non-carcinogenic; Onion.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

**Fig. 1**
Onion planting and sampling areas.

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References

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[1] Abdullahi M., Uzairu A., Harrison G., Balarabe M. Trace metals screening of tomatoes and onions from irrigated farmlands on the bank of river Challawa, Kano, Nigeria. EJEAFChe. 2007;6:1869–1878.

[2] Abdullahi M., Uzairu A., Harrison G., Balarabe M. Trace metals screening of tomatoes and onions from irrigated farmlands on the bank of river Challawa, Kano, Nigeria. EJEAFChe. 2007;6:1869–1878.

[3] Abdullahi M.S., Uzairu A., Okunola O.J. Quantitative determination of heavy metal concentrations in onion leaves. International Journal of Environmental Research. 2009;3(2):271–274.

[4] Abdullahi M.S., Uzairu A., Okunola O.J. Quantitative determination of heavy metal concentrations in onion leaves. International Journal of Environmental Research. 2009;3(2):271–274.

[5] Abulude F.O. Trace heavy metals contamination of soils and vegetation in the vicinity of livestock in Nigeria. Electronic Journal of Environmental, Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2005;4:863–870.

[6] Abulude F.O. Trace heavy metals contamination of soils and vegetation in the vicinity of livestock in Nigeria. Electronic Journal of Environmental, Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2005;4:863–870.

[7] Adel M., Dadar M., Fakhri Y., Oliveri Conti G., Ferrante M. Heavy metal concentration in muscle of pike (Esox lucius Linnaeus, 1758) from Anzali international wetland, southwest of the Caspian Sea and their consumption risk assessment. Toxin Reviews. 2016;35:217–223.

[8] Adel M., Dadar M., Fakhri Y., Oliveri Conti G., Ferrante M. Heavy metal concentration in muscle of pike (Esox lucius Linnaeus, 1758) from Anzali international wetland, southwest of the Caspian Sea and their consumption risk assessment. Toxin Reviews. 2016;35:217–223.

[9] Aendo P., Thongyuan S., Songserm T., Tulayakul P. Carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk assessment of heavy metals contamination in duck eggs and meat as a warning scenario in Thailand. Science of the Total Environment. 2019;689:215–222. - PubMed

[10] Aendo P., Thongyuan S., Songserm T., Tulayakul P. Carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk assessment of heavy metals contamination in duck eggs and meat as a warning scenario in Thailand. Science of the Total Environment. 2019;689:215–222. - PubMed

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Risk assessment of heavy metals consumption through onion on human health in Iran

Affiliations

Risk assessment of heavy metals consumption through onion on human health in Iran

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

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References

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