Uptake of lead and arsenic in food plants grown in contaminated soil from Barber Orchard, NC

Elevated levels of heavy metals in soil may allow uptake of these toxic species in food plants. Barber Orchard, Haywood County, NC has been designated a U.S. EPA Superfund site, primarily because of elevated levels of lead and arsenic. In this work, carrots, lettuce, and tomatoes were cultivated in a greenhouse in control soil and soil obtained from Barber Orchard. The resulting samples were then analyzed for lead and arsenic using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Except for carrot roots grown in the contaminated soil, the concentrations of lead and arsenic in the plants were below the ICP-OES detection limit. The concentration of lead in carrot roots was 20 ± 11 μg/g, which represents a bioconcentration factor (BCF) of 0.03.