Distribution pattern of eight heavy metals in the outer and inner tissues of ten commonly used vegetables

This study reports the distribution of eight heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, and Pb) in the outer and inner tissues of ten different vegetables from the Qassim region of Saudi Arabia. The oven-dried (65°C, 48 h) vegetable samples were subjected to microwave acid digestion before heavy metals analysis using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. The results showed that Co, Cd, and Pb were absent in the outer tissues of all the vegetables, whereas these elements were detected in the inner tissues of some vegetables in the ranges of 0.01–0.23 mg/kg wet weight, 0.03–0.42 mg/kg, and 0.02–3.44 mg/kg, respectively. The traces of Hg (1.83–3.59 μg/kg) were noticed in the outer tissues of all the samples; however, it was not detected in the inner tissues of vegetables. The variable distribution of heavy metals in different vegetables is influenced by several factors, including exposure route, physicochemical properties of heavy metals, species of crops, cultivation strategy, soil type, and growing conditions. In conclusion, although the representative samples of vegetables used in this study contained safe levels of Cd, Co, Ni, and Pb, higher than recommended upper limits of Cr, Cu, and Mn were observed in some vegetables. These findings suggested that regular monitoring of heavy metals in vegetables is important to safeguard consumers.