Heavy Metal Concentrations in Commonly Sold Onions (Allium Cepa) and Probable Health Risk Assessment

Abstract

In this current research, samples of domestic and imported onions were collected from wholesale markets in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and their heavy metal concentrations were measured. Several health issues could arise from eating onions, according to estimations. After being randomly selected, prepared, and analyzed, samples from onions were used to assess whether contaminants such as heavy metals were present using atomic absorption spectroscopy. The mean readings for chromium, copper, lead, and zinc in the native and imported onion samples ranged from 0.00 to 6.24., 4.78 to 21.61, 0.00 to 37.00, 31.75 to 70.16 mg kg-1, and from 0.00 to 17.93, 3.64 to 17.04, 0.00 to 26.00, 10.97 to 42.72 mg kg-1, respectively. For the majority of the samples of foreign onions, the ADI values of Pb were higher than the PMTDI. Most onion samples had Hazard Index values higher than 1, indicating a risk in the future to human health (carcinogenic) from these onions intake.