Assessment of Heavy Metals in Vegetables, Sewage and Soil,Grown Near Babu Sabu Toll PlazaLahore, Pakistan

The regular monitoring of toxic metals in sewage, effluents and vegetables is quite essential toavoid their excessive absorption/consumption in the food chain.The quantification of heavymetals in wastewater (sewage/industrial water), soil and vegetables grown in suburb area (BabuSabu Toll Plaza)Lahore, Pakistan during 2015-16 have been investigated. These heavy metalsinclude; Pb, Hg,Zn, Cu and Cd. For brief survey, 20, 20 and 90 samples of sewage water, soiland vegetable, respectively were collected for study. In wastewater, the concentration of heavymetals is observed as Zn > Cu > Cd > Pb, however, Hg was under detection limits.The measuredvalues when compared with WHO standards, these were slightly higher than the safe limits. In soilsamples, concentration was observed as Zn > Cu > Pb > Hg > Cd and is in the safe limits. Thevegetables were found contaminated with heavy metals exhibiting concentration little higher thanpermissible limits of WHO/FAO.