Energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence study of elemental uptake in cauliflower

A 109Cd radioisotope-induced energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) study has been performed on samples of cauliflower consisting of the flower, the leaves and the associated root soil. The cauliflowers were collected from farms near the main dumping site of municipal solid waste in the city of Kolkata, India and also from uncontaminated farms about 50 km away from the city. A unified calibration approach was undertaken for the elemental analysis of the samples of widely varying matrices. The present study suggests that the elemental concentrations in the root soils and leaves of the samples vary from farm to farm, whereby the concentrations of Cu, Zn and Pb in root soils of MSW-contaminated farms are higher by almost an order of magnitude compared to uncontaminated farms. But, the most notable feature of this study is the strikingly similar elemental concentrations in the edible flower part of all samples irrespective of the type of soil. © Indian Academy of Sciences.