Pilot survey of three soil heavy metals at abandoned industrial farmland, and determination of its potential health risk

Food production near major consumer centers provides numerous economic benefits. However, there are numerous potential sources of contamination with hazardous substances, including heavy metals, in urban and industrial regions. Heavy metals adulteration in agricultural soil is an international issue. It is thought that fertilizers and atmospheric deposition together account for the majority of the trace element burden in farmed soils. Public concern over the possible buildup of heavy metals in agricultural soil has intensified because of the rapid development of various sectors, growth of urbanization, and increased discharge of agrochemicals into the environment. Heavy metal effects may imperil the natural processes of soil, directly or indirectly, via bioaccumulation and inclusion in the food chain. Metals accumulate in soil and living organisms’ tissues because they are not vulnerable to metabolic degradation like the bulk of organic compounds. Normally, healthy plants can collect heavy metals in proportions that are harmful to human health if consumed; worsen the problem of heavy metal poisoning. The aim of this research is to assess the existence and concentration of selected heavy metals in a plot of garden site. The study tested the amounts of three specific heavy metals-copper (Cu), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd)- on a farming land, which about 24×104 m2 of topsoil from nine quadrats. According to the findings, the average values of Cd, Pb, and Cu were 2.02, 62.47, and 85.88 mg/kg-1 correspondingly, and were over the standard allowed level except for Lead.