Naser et al. 2018 - metals in spinach and other leafy vegetables in Bangladesh
Naser and coauthors measured Pb, Cd, Ni, Co, and Cr in spinach, red amaranth, and amaranth grown in industrial and non-industrial areas of Gazipur, Bangladesh. The source is routeable to spinach because leaf and whole-plant tables report explicit dry-weight concentrations by pollution level. Industrial-area findings should be kept jurisdiction- and site-contextual.
Key numbers
- Spinach leaves in high-pollution areas: Pb 5.97 +/- 0.30, Cd 1.02 +/- 0.15, Ni 31.9 +/- 3.38, Co 1.63 +/- 0.24, and Cr 5.70 +/- 0.36 ug/g dry weight.
- Spinach leaves in medium-pollution areas: Pb 3.61 +/- 0.18, Cd 0.52 +/- 0.03, Ni 24.6 +/- 2.23, Co 1.41 +/- 0.17, and Cr 5.62 +/- 0.23 ug/g dry weight.
- Spinach leaves in low-pollution areas: Pb 1.16 +/- 0.16, Cd 0.43 +/- 0.07, Ni 5.48 +/- 0.47, Co 0.47 +/- 0.09, and Cr 2.69 +/- 0.24 ug/g dry weight.
- Whole-plant spinach values were Pb 5.07 +/- 0.79, Cd 1.14 +/- 0.31, Ni 33.2 +/- 11.2, Co 1.60 +/- 0.27, and Cr 6.09 +/- 0.85 ug/g dry weight in high-pollution areas.
Methods (brief)
Plant parts and corresponding soils were collected from two industrial areas and one non-industrial area. Heavy metals were reported on a dry-weight basis for roots, stems, leaves, whole plant, and soils.
Implications
Certification: site-specific Bangladesh spinach evidence for Pb, Cd, Ni, Co, and Cr. Courses: strong example of plant-part and pollution-gradient separation. App: supports high-risk industrial-area sourcing context, not a general-market spinach value.
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Verification notes
Values were transcribed from Tables 3 and 4 in the PDF text extraction. Units are ug/g dry weight; conversion to ppb dry weight requires multiplying by 1000 and must be logged if used downstream.
Page history
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