Abstract
The present study addresses the pressing concern of heavy metal (HM) contamination in wheat grains, aiming to fill the existing research gap by investigating the spatial distribution of heavy metals and evaluating their health implications in southern Iranian oil fields. Using a quantitative approach, we sampled 50 wheat cultivation farms across the region and analyzed the concentrations of chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), and lead (Pb) using inductively coupled plasma‒mass spectrometry. Our findings revealed alarming levels of heavy metals, with zinc exhibiting the highest concentration (averaging 30.169 mg/kg) and lead and mercury surpassing the FAO/WHO guidelines. Hg had the highest health quotient for both adults (HQ: 1.38) and children (HQ: 2.14). Cr (adults: 0.000236; children: 0.00038), followed by arsenic (adults: 0.000494; children: 0.00076), was identified as the primary carcinogenic heavy metal in this study. PCA revealed 48% of the total variance (attributed to As, Cr, Pb, and Hg), while the secondary factor explained 27.32% (associated with Cd, Zn, and Cu). The ordinary kriging interpolation highlights high HM levels in farms across the eastern, northeastern, and southwestern regions. Based on these results, we recommend urgent measures to mitigate heavy metal contamination in wheat grains, underscoring the critical importance of safeguarding food safety and public health.