Health risk assessment of citrus contaminated with heavy metals in Hamedan city, potential risk of Al and Cu

Background: Fruits especially citrus species are an integral part of human diet. Contamination of foodstuffs by heavy and toxic metals via environmental pollution has become an inevitable challenge these days. Therefore, the effect of pollutants on food safety for human consumption is a global public concern. In this regards, this study was conducted for Al and Cu health risk assessment through the consumption of citrus species (orange, grapefruit, sweet lime and tangerine) in Hamedan city in 2015. Methods: After collecting and preparing 4 samples from each citrus species with acid digestion method, the concentrations of Al and Cu were determined using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) with three replications. In addition, SPSS was employed to compare the mean concentrations of metals with maximum permissible limits (MPL) of the World Health Organization (WHO). Results: The results showed that the mean concentrations of Al in citrus samples were 3.25 +/- 0.35 mg/kg and higher than WHO maximum permissible limits. The mean concentrations of Cu in citrus samples with 0.16 +/- 0.05 mg/kg are lower than WHO maximum permissible limits. Also, the computed health risk assessment revealed that there was no potential risk for children and adult by consuming the studied citrus. Conclusion: Based on the results, consumption of citrus species has no adverse effect on the consumers' health, but as a result of the increased utilization of agricultural inputs (metal based fertilizers and pesticides, sewage sludge and wastewater) by farmers and orchardists, regular periodic monitoring of chemical pollutants content in foodstuffs are recommended for food safety.