RESUMO
Absorption of heavy and toxic metals causes their accumulation in the edible parts of vegetables. Pollutants such as heavy metals have directly affected the health of society and contributed to emerging diseases in recent years. The current study aimed to detect heavy metals (Pb, Cd, As) in highly consumed leafy vegetables provided from the Tehran market. Four types of vegetables, including dill, parsley, cress, and coriander were selected and 64 samples were randomly collected from fruit and vegetable markets in different regions of Tehran in August and September 2022. Then, samples were analyzed by the ICP-OES system, and health risk assessment was conducted using non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic approach. The range of Pb concentration was 54-314, < LOQ-289, < LOQ-230, and < LOQ-183 µg/kg for dill, cress, parsley, and coriander, respectively. The high mean concentrations of Pb belong to the dill (161.43 ± 77.3 µg/kg) and cress (154.75 ± 72.9 µg/kg). In some samples of dill (37.5% of samples), cress (18.75% of samples), and parsley (12.5% of samples), the Pb content was above the national allowable limit (200 µg/kg). The range of Cd concentration was < LOQ-42, < LOQ-41, < LOQ-30, and < LOQ-38 µg/kg for dill, cress, parsley, and coriander, respectively. In none of the samples, the concentration of Cd was higher than the Iranian national limit (50 µg/kg). The As occurrence was observed in all cress samples with a mean of 165.19 ± 64.83 µg/kg. The range of As concentration was < LOQ-71, < LOQ-256, 58-273, and < LOQ-75 µg/kg for parsley, dill, cress, and coriander, respectively. The THQ and HI values were higher than 1, and either ILCR value was higher than 10-4 for all tested heavy metals, it can be concluded that higher levels of heavy metals than the standard limits in some samples may raise the warning alarm and should come to the attention of the authorities.