ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Assessment of Heavy Metal Accumulations
(Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in Vegetables
and Soils
Etem Osma1, Memduh Serin2, Zeliha Leblebici3, Ahmet Aksoy4
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1 Department of Biology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Erzincan University, 24100, Erzincan, Turkey
2 Department of Biology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Marmara University, 34722, Istanbul, Turkey
3 Department of Biology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Nevşehir University, Nevşehir, Turkey
4 Department of Biology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Erciyes University, 38039, Kayseri, Turkey
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2013;22(5):1449-1455
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
This study measured levels of cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, lead, and zinc in fruits of Capsicum
annuum L., Phaseolus vulgaris L., and Solanum melongena L. during the 2007 vegetation period, to deter-
mine levels of metal pollution in Istanbul Province. Plant and soil samples were collected from six sites in
Istanbul (Brook Coast area, inner city, industrial area, suburban, roadside, and rural – control – areas).
Unwashed and washed leaf and soil samples were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma optical emission
spectrometry. The highest and lowest values were as follows: Cd (0.28-0.89 µg·g-1), Cr (5.33-14.04 µg·g-1), Cu
(1.47-5.19 µg·g-1), Ni (3.06-13.65 µg·g-1), Pb (29.28-86.20 µg·g-1), and Zn (3.70-5.74 µg·g-1). The unwashed
samples were more contaminated than the washed samples. Contamination was higher in the vegetables grown
in industrial areas and along roadsides. The overall metal concentration pattern in vegetables was Pb > Cr >
Ni > Zn > Cu > Cd.