Health risks from cadmium exposure via consumption of food crops at intensively farmed area, Cameron Highlands

Munisamy, Raagheni (2013) Health risks from cadmium exposure via consumption of food crops at intensively farmed area, Cameron Highlands. [Project Paper] (Submitted)

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Abstract

Introduction: Cadmium (Cd) is ubiquitous in environment and is widely present in phosphate rock deposits of sedimentary origin. It may enter food chain through intense application of phosphate fertilizers to agricultural crops. Objective: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Kuala Terla and Blue Valley farming villages, Cameron Highlands to determine cadmium concentration in vegetables and soil and to determine health risks among respondents. Material & Methodology: A total of 87 respondents were selected based on inclusive and exclusive criteria. A set of pre-tested questionnaires utilized to obtain socio-demographic and food intake information and to predict health risks faced by the respondents based on their vegetable ingestion rate. The Average Daily Dose (ADD) and Target Hazard Quotient (THQ) were determined in this study. Convenient sampling method was employed to obtain 15 paired soil and vegetable samples. Cadmium concentration in the samples was determined through acid digestion prior analysis using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (FAAS). Results: The mean Cd concentration in vegetable samples was 0.13 ± 0.082 mg/kg, within the acceptable range specified by Malaysia Food Regulation 1985 (1 mg/kg). For soil samples, the mean concentration of Cd was 2.78 ± 2.83 mg/kg. Eight (8) out of 11 soil samples exceeded the permissible limit of Cd outlined by The Dutch Standard (lmg /kg). Findings on THQ demonstrated that all the respondents are within the acceptable non-carcinogenic health risk. The results also exhibit that there was no correlation between cadmium in soils and vegetables. However, there are movements of mobile cadmium ions from soil to the vegetables which are indicated by Transfer Factor (TF) value. Conclusion: There were unlikely potential adverse health impacts arising from Cd through vegetable consumption in this study. Respondents were advised to have a medical check-up in order to determine Cd body burden thus eliminating the risks of acquiring cadmium related diseases. Keywords: Cadmium, Intensive Farming, Vegetables, Soil, Health Risks, ADD, THQ

Item Type:	Project Paper
Faculty:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Science
Depositing User:	Ms. Adni Syuhaida Zon
Date Deposited:	23 Nov 2022 00:40
Last Modified:	21 Mar 2023 03:10
URI:	http://psaspb.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/304

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