Environmental cadmium, lead and nickel contamination: possible relationship between soil and vegetable content

Summary The cadmium, lead and nickel content of soils of four agricultural areas exposed to different degrees of environmental pollution and vegetables grown there were measured by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS). In order to ascertain the possible relationship between the heavy metal content of soils (total and extractable) and of vegetables grown in them, the correlation between the two was calculated. The highest correlation values between metal content of soil and vegetables are these corresponding to nickel: the total metal content in soils and leaves-stems are linear (p<0.01). The extractable metal content of soils and leaves-stems are linear (p<0.1). Therefore, soil seems to be the main contributor to nickel content of plants (leaves-stems). In the case of cadmium a statistically significant linear correlation (p<0.01) was observed between total metal content in soil and in leaves-stems and a negative one between extractable metal content of soils and that of roots-bulbs. For lead a negative correlation was found between extractable metal content of soils and leaves-stems. In any case, the lead content of soils is not the main factor that influences the lead content of vegetables. Anthropogenic and environmental factors play a more important role than the lead in soils in the lead content of vegetables.