Health risk assessment of heavy metals in vegetables grown around battery production area

Battery production is one of the main sources of heavy metals that present great harm to human health even in low concentrations. Chromium (Cr), Cadmium (Cd) and Lead (Pb) were measured in edible portions of vegetables and soils around a battery production area in China, and the potential health risk of heavy metal contamination to the local population via vegetable consumption was evaluated. Their concentrations in edible portions of vegetables were 2.354 (0.078-14.878), 0.035 (0.003-0.230) and 0.039 (0.003-0.178) mg kg-1, respectively. Approximately 3 % of the Cd in the vegetable samples exc...