The Environmental Significance of Contaminants of Concern in the Soil–Vegetable Interface: Sources, Accumulation, Health Risks, and Mitigation through Biochar

Abstract

Vegetable consumption is considered as an important part of the human diet as it serves as an essential source of vitamins, nutrients, and minerals. In this regard, the demand for new technologies and ideas in the agricultural sector has grown steadily to help expand the production of vegetable crops. The uptake and accumulation of trace elements (TEs) and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) as contaminants in vegetables have been accelerated by man-made activities. The dietary intake of these contaminated vegetables often poses significant human health risks. To counteract this, mitigation strategies in the form of environmental amendments have received increasing attention in the last decade. The incorporation of amendments in the form of biochar has been shown to reduce the uptake of contaminants in the soil and their accumulation in vegetables. The present review is organized to offer an overview of the occurrence and sources of important contaminants of concern particularly associated with vegetable plants. The factors influencing their uptake and accumulation in the edible parts of vegetable plants are discussed briefly along with the human health risk imposed via the consumption of contaminated vegetables. Furthermore, this review also explores feasible mitigation strategies through the use of biochar for these contaminants, along with future perspectives for addressing this issue of food contamination.