Excessive heavy metals found in 9 vegetables: Study

• Red amaranth has highest levels of harmful metals, including cadmium, chromium, and lead
• Brinjal, bean, potato, okra, tomato, pointed gourd, cabbage, and cucumber are also contaminated
• Prolonged consumption of these vegetables may lead to serious health issues like cancer
• Lychee had highest pesticide residue among tested fruits 
• Narayanganj had the highest consumption of contaminated vegetables
• Arsenic was most prevalent in Sherpur

Researchers have found harmful levels of heavy metals in red amaranth (laal shak) and eight other vegetables, along with pesticide residues in lychee and three other fruits.

The findings were obtained from two studies funded by the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) and were presented at a seminar titled "Research Findings Dissemination Seminar" yesterday.

The first study titled "Heavy metal contamination in vegetables and associated human health risk assessment", presented by Mohammad Golam Kibria, an associate professor at Bangladesh Agricultural University, found alarming levels of heavy metals such as lead, chromium, and cadmium in a variety of vegetables, including brinjal, bean, potato, okra, tomato, pointed gourd, cabbage, cucumber, and notably, red amaranth.

Red amaranth had the highest concentration of harmful metals.

Researchers warned that prolonged consumption of these contaminated vegetables could significantly increase the risk of life-threatening diseases, including cancer.

For instance, the maximum permissible limit for cadmium in vegetables is 190 micrograms per kilogram, but red amaranth was found to contain 704.32 micrograms per kilogram.

Other vegetables also showed concerning levels, with brinjal at 275.66 micrograms, okra at 349 micrograms, and tomato at 195 micrograms per kilogram. The highest cadmium levels were detected in samples from Narayanganj.

Additionally, excessive amounts of chromium were found in red amaranth, beans, cucumbers, okra, and pointed gourd, while lead contamination was detected in red amaranth, brinjal, cabbage, beans, cucumbers, okra, pointed gourd, and tomatoes.

The research team collected samples from six districts in the Dhaka and Mymensingh divisions, highlighting that Narayanganj had the highest consumption of contaminated vegetables, with arsenic most prevalent in Sherpur.

The second study, "Monitoring of pesticide residues and their associated health risk assessment in fruits," was presented by Mohammad Delwar Hossain Pradhan, a senior scientific officer at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute. 

This study tested 320 samples of mangoes, lychees, jujubes, and guavas, revealing pesticide residues in 39 samples from the edible portions, which accounted for 12.19% of the total. 

Lychee had the highest pesticide residue at 18.8%, while mangoes had the lowest at 8.8%. The samples were collected from Dhaka, Rajshahi, Pabna, and Bogura, with 30 exceeding the maximum residue limit.

To mitigate these health risks, the research team recommended regular monitoring of farmers, stressing good agricultural practices, providing training, and raising public awareness.

At the seminar, BFSA Chairman Zakaria said that while the BFSA funded the studies, the results are the researchers' responsibility. He assured that the authorities would take necessary measures in consultation with relevant agencies to prevent harmful substances from entering food.