Accumulation of heavy metals in rice grains in Western Uttar Pradesh

Abstract

Rice is an excellent staple food which contains vitamins and minerals such as vitamins E & B and potassium needed for human growth and development and it is one of the important food of the half of the human race. However, heavy metal contamination in rice and other crops is threatening the quality of these crops and the health of consumers. Due to industrialization and other human activities, environmental pollution with chemicals is increasing and this has led to the contamination of agricultural product. Heavy metal contamination has been associated with adverse effects such as damages to the nervous system, kidneys, liver, lungs and other vital organs in humans and animals. With dietary intake as one of the major routes of heavy metal exposure to human, there is the need to investigate the levels of these metals in our foods. Keeping these aspects in mind the present study was planned to establish the concentrations of harmful heavy metals such as (arsenic, cadmium and lead etc.) in rice sold on the Indian market. The present study included 23 rice sample is collected from some of the agricultural field in western part of Utter Pradesh. Samples were homogenized and digested for analysis using a microwave digester. The concentrations of the heavy metals (As, Cd Pb and Cr etc.) were analyzed using Inductive coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Results indicated that, the Arsenic concentration in rice grains samples, paddy, brown and milled rice obtained concentrations which ranged from 0.041 to 2.75ppm with an average of 0.120ppm, 0.021 to 0.169ppm with an average of 0.068ppm, 0.013 to 0.133ppm with an average of 0.068ppm respectively. The cadmium concentration in rice grain sample range in paddy, brown and milled rice is 0.006 to 0.80ppm with an average of 0.030ppm, 0.006 to 0.078ppm with an average of 0.0245ppm, 0.006 to 0.061ppm with an average of 0.0243ppm, 0.006 to 0.061ppm with an average of 0.0243ppm respectively. The lead concentration in paddy, brown and milled rice grain sample is in range of 0.03 to 0.414ppm average of 0.123ppm, 0.003 to 0.250ppm average of 0.075ppm, 0.000 to 0.144ppm average of 0.50ppm respectively. And chromium concentration is in range of paddy, brown and milled rice grain sample is in range 18.613to 63.369ppm with an average of 39.340ppm, 0.388 to 8.585ppm with an average of 1.313ppm, 0.123 to 1.712 ppm with an average of 0.38ppm respectively. Heavy metals in all the rice samples evaluated were found to be below the World Health Organization (WHO) maximum permissible limit for Arsenic and lead. But in case of cadmium, the concentration was slightly higher. This indicates that consumption of rice from these fields may not induce any adverse health effects.