Mahrous, Samira E.; Shreen. S. Ahmed; Mervat. A. Hamed; and
Tamer. M. Salem
( 2014). Monitoring the risks of trace elements in soil, Water and plants as a result of increasing Population and human activities along with Mansoria canalJ. Soil Sci. and Agric. Eng., Mansoura Univ., Vol. 5 (1): 93 - 105, 2014
Abstract: Mansoria canal is one of the important irrigation canals along in west Cairo,
Egypt. Most soils surrounded this canal irrigated from it, which consequently receives large quantities of low water quality due to human activities. The current study aimed to monitoring soil, grown plants and irrigation water along Mansoria canal from Abu Nomros area up to Riah El-Nassery and their effects on human health impacts. To attain these goals, soil, irrigation water and grown plant samples were collected along the study area, and their contents of micronutrients and some heavy metals i.e., Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn were determined. The results revealed that the available content of trace elements in soil locations under study was lower than the pollution values with the exception of Cr, Cu and Pb. Moreover, Mn, Cr, Zn and Cu were found at high concentrations in most plants exceeding the permissible ones,
while other elements were recorded high concentration values than the permissible limits only in some plants. To predict the impacts on human health live in these areas during period of time, risk assessment of human health equations were conducted based on plant and soil ingestion beside of the dermal contact. The results indicated that Zn, Mn, Cr and Pb in all grown plants can possess health threat for children; whereas Cd shows a serious health impacts for children when feeding on cauliflower, cabbage, white potatoes and onion. Cobalt also might cause adverse health effects for children when feeding on pepper, lettuce, peanut, wheat grain and orange, while Cu may has a health impacts on children feeding all grown plants with the exception of cauliflower. No health impacts were expected for adults feeding these plants, with the exception of Cr and Zn in case of white potatoes and Cr, Cu, Mn and Zn in case of wheat grains. Finally, it must be kept in mind that some of grown plants which produced from contaminated areas might not be suitable for children consumption and has a negative impact on their health.
Keywords: (West Cairo; Mansoria canal; Trace elements; Hazard index .)
