Urinary outputs of nickel in association with their concentration levels in water, soil, and selected foods among farmers in the industrial estate of district swabi

Abstract

Diet is the main route of exposure to trace metals, so the assessment risk of these elements to human via dietary intake is important. The non-carcinogenic health risk of Nickel (Ni) to the farmers via dietary intake in the Gadoon Amazai Industrial Estate (GAIE) Swabi of Kyber Pakhtunkwa was assessed. A cross sectional study was carried out in the GAIE to estimate the concentration of Nickel in all types of vegetables, grains, drinking water, irrigation water, soil and in urine of the farmers. A total of 22 farmers, living within the 2km distance in all four directions were selected and enrolled in the study after signing consent form. Atomic absorption spectrophotometer was used for the Ni analysis in the collected samples of water (both drinking and irrigation water), soil, foods and in urine of farmers. Results shows that the mean age of the farmers using tube well water and wastewater for irrigation purposes was 43.5±21.01 and 44.75±16.44 years, height was 167.6±3.7 and 165.75±6.02 cm, weight was 61±12.52 and 64.75±9.63 kg and BMI was 21.65±3.73 and 23.7±4.4 respectively. The concentration of the Ni in the wastewater irrigated field was significantly higher than the tube well irrigated field. The mean concentration of Ni in the soil irrigated with wastewater was 123.50±54.74 mg/kg respectively and in the tube-well irrigated field was 54.25±10.14 mg/kg. The Ni concentration in the wastewater irrigated garlic, fodder grass, potato, wheat and maize were 9.15±0.50 mg/kg, 8.82±1.30mg/kg, 7.70±1.04mg/kg and 7.56±1.24mg/kg respectively compared to tube-well irrigated land i.e., 0.97±0.25 mg/kg, 0.64±0.42 mg/kg, 1.08±0.35 mg/kg, 1.05±0.013 mg/kg and 1.02±0.39 mg/kg. A positive correlation was observed between the water, soil, and all crops grown in the GAIE . The bio-accumulation factor was higher for Ni in both the site. The Hazzard Quotient (HQ) for Ni exceeded the 1 for crops irrigated with industrial wastewater compared with tube-well irrigated crops and thus pose adverse health affect to farmers health. This study concluded that a strong association was evident between the Ni concentration in crops and cereals and waste-water irrigation.