Heavy metals uptake by Cucurbita maxima grown in soil contaminated with sewage water and its human health implications in Peri-urban areas of Sargodha city

Accumulation of six different metals such as cr,mn,fe,mo,pb,and cd in a potential vegetable crop,pumpkin (cucurbita maxima),and its subsequent human exposure risks were determined at two peri-urban sites (sahiwal and shahpur) within the sargodha city,pakistan,where wastewater is used for irrigating most of the vegetables grown therein. the results demonstrated that the metal levels in the soil samples were relatively below the respective maximum permissible limits of various metals analyzed. the pattern of total metal concentration in vegetable was mn > fe > cr > mo > pb > cd. at both the peri urban sites,the transfer factor ranged from 0.01 to 71.295,with cr having the highest transfer factor. the differences in uptake of these heavy metals can be ascribed to difference in tolerance to these metals by the vegetable species. the studies also showed dietary intake of pb,cd,mn,and mo via cucurbita maxima was not free of risk for residents of investigated sites consuming this vegetable. copyright 2015 zoological society of pakistan.