HEAVY METALS IN VEGETABLES AS A RISK FACTOR FOR HEALTH OF CONSUMERS

The problem of chemical soil pollution of agricultural areas is topical one. The concentrations of chemical elements (Be, Sc, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, Sr, Mo, Ag, Ba, Hg, Pb, U) in soil and grown vegetables in Tomsk rural areas were determined by atomic adsorbtion spectroscopy (AAS) method. Tomsk is an industrial city in West Siberia. The risk assessment for human health at consumption of grown vegetables was performed in accordance with generally accepted methodology. Calculated living average daily doses of element intake were considered as safe ones. The values of carcinogenic risks are calculated based on average concentrations of pollutants in the vegetables with the use of standard factors of exposure. The values of carcinogenic risks are in the interval 10(-7)-10(-6) and in accordance with the criteria for the risk acceptability is approached normal and not causing concern. However when the content of lead in the potato exceeds maximum permissible concentration by factor of 2.7 the average daily dose of lead receipt is beyond the scope of the safety (danger index is equal to 1.4-1.8, carcinogenic risk of 8.7*10(-6)). Special attention in the analysis of risk is paid to the lead which carcinogenic properties are not sufficiently studied. A danger to human health is raised by regular consumption of these vegetables or along increasing the frequency of the samples occurrence of a higher content of lead.