Betel Quid Chewing: A Possible Source of Heavy Metal Exposure to the People in Khulna, Bangladesh

Betel quid (BQ) chewing is an ancient tradition across the globe. The present study aims to assess the non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risk of BQ chewers by estimating the concentration of heavy metals (Cr, Mn, Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, and As) in Piper betel leaf (PBL) and Areca nut (AN). The concentrations of heavy metals were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) technique and the health risks were calculated based on USEPA deterministic model. The average concentration of Mn, Cu, Zn, As, Cr, Cd, and Pb are observed 1.110, 3.250, 7.971, 0.561, 0.333, 0.084 and 0.323 mg kg^-1 in PBL; 1.756, 5.147, 5.022, 0.081, 0.434, 0.094 and 0.224 mg kg^-1 in AN respectively. Evaluation of the noncarcinogenic parameters (target health quotient and health index) for heavy metals never exceeded the USEPA risk limit (1.0), indicating no non-carcinogenic health effects. Likewise, the value of the carcinogenic parameter (Target cancer risk) was lower than the USEPA tolerable limit (10^−4) for PBL and AN, but ingestion of BQ (PBL+AN) poses slight concern for Cd-induced cancer risk. The overall analysis reveals that BQ chewing is almost safe for BQ chewers in Khulna, Bangladesh region, but Cd should be paid more attention as a risk source. Therefore, regular monitoring of heavy metals in different parts of Bangladesh should be done and necessary steps should be taken to control heavy metal pollution.