Contamination Levels of Toxic Metals in Marketed Vegetable (Amaranthus Viridis) at Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Open Access

Abstract

The contamination of food chain by toxic metals constitutes a major concern worldwide because of human health potential risks. Amaranthus viridis (A. viridis) is one of the most consumed vegetables in South Asian and Sub-Saharan African countries. However, the accumulation of pollutants, such as toxic metals in this plant is still little investigated. Consequently, this research investigates the level of toxic metals in A. viridis collected from four major markets of Kinshasa, Capital City of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to the seasonal variation in order to determine potential health risk for the consumers. The results revealed high metal concentrations in edible leaf vegetables during both dry and wet seasons. Metal concentration reaching the values (in mg kg-1) of 3.6 (Cr), 1.5 (Co), 29.7 (Cu), 348.2 (Zn), 1.7 (As), 1.5 (Cd), 18.3 (Pb) and 0.2 (Hg). Except for Cu, the analyzed metal concentrations in leafy vegetables exceeded the permissible levels set by Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) for human consumption. Given the level of toxic metals in A. viridis leaf according to the regulation of FAO/WHO, human health consequences are likely to occur on continuous vegetable consumption. Our results recommend implementation of measures and efforts to improve the quality of this most consumed vegetable in order to minimize potential health risk for the consumers.