Environmental Modelling at Nottingham

Uptake of Cd, Zn, Pb, Cu by vegetables

The uptake of metals by vegetables is very variable depending upon soil conditions and, of course, the vegetable of interest.

Through a very comprehensive survey of literature data we developed some simple linear models which related uptake to soil pH and organic matter content for a range of important vegetables.

The models are by no means perfect, but they do account for quite a bit of the variation in the data and are readily applicable.

In the paper cited opposite the models were applied to assess the potential risk to the population of a contaminated urban area from the consumption of home grown vegetables.

Hough RL, Breward N, Young SD, Crout NMJ, Tye AM (2004) Assessing Potential Risk of Heavy Metal Exposure from Consumption of Home Produced Vegetables by Urban Populations. Environmental Health Perspectives, 112:215-221.

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