ASSESSMENT OF HEAVY METAL FOCUSING ON CADMIUM, COPPER AND LEAD UPTAKE BY CROPS IN GREATER BANGKOK METROPOLITAN REGION, THAILAND

Abstract

The objective of this study is to assess heavy metals, copper, cadmium and lead, uptake by food crops and
vegetables grown in the greater Bangkok Metropolitan Region in Thailand. The three heavy metals were detected in three types of vegetables cultivated in three provinces Pathum Thani, Ayutthaya, and Nonthaburi representing Greater Bangkok Metropolitan Region (GBMR). An Inductively Coupled Plasma method was used to estimate and evaluate the levels of these metals’ concentration in the vegetables, soil, water, manure, and chemical fertilizer. The physical and chemical characterizations of which were conducted to compare the heavy metals concentrations with similar characteristics. Heavy metals concentrations were compared both in wet
and dry season. Moreover, the edible and non-edible parts of the vegetables were also considered for the comparative study and found a significant difference in copper (Cu) concentrations in morning glory.
The concentrations of Cu were found in edible and non-edible parts were 0.38 and 1.10 ug/g respectively. To account the flow of heavy metals concentration in  certain location, a mass balance analysis was conducted for the three different provinces, and found that about 18 mg of Cu accumulated in all three provinces. The cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) levels were found to be insignificant. The contributions of the vegetables to the daily intake of the heavy metals from the vegetables were determined.