Lead and Cadmium Contaminations in Soil and Wild Plant Species Along Karakorum Highway Northern Pakistan: Occurrence, Transformation and Human Health Risk

Abstract

Abstract Lead and cadmium contaminations in soil and plant may indirectly result in human health risk. This study was to assess the lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) concentrations in soil and wild plants and its associated human health risk along the Karakorum Highway, Northern Pakistan. Results showed that the concentrations of both Pb and Cd in soil were above the permissible limits of Dutch standards, and the mean values in wild plant species were above the permissible limit according to WHO (1996). Metal bioaccumulation factor (BAF) and translocation factor (TF) were applied to assess metal uptake and transport through plant tissues. Among 30 wild plant species, merely 1 plant species (Debregeasia Saeneb) for Pb and 5 plant species (Dodonaea viscosa, Crysopoge gryllus, Debregeasia saeneb, Festuca hartmanii and Plantanus arientalis) for Cd showed BAF > 1. For the TF values, Pb in 11 plant species were > 1, while 19 plant species for Cd were > 1. The hazard index (HI) values for soil were observed < 1 with an order of ingestion > dermal > inhalation, indacting no adverse health effects. This study suggests that some wild plant species in Northern Pakistan present low BAF and TF values, those wild plants can be used for phytoremediation purposes.