Heavy Metals in Fruits and Vegetables Grown in Kuwait During the Oil Well Fires PDF

Keywords

oil fields, environmental pollution, fruits and vegetables, Kuwait

Abstract

The exploding and burning of Kuwait's oil fields resulted in significant environmental pollution. To assess the impact of this pollution on locally grown food, samples of fruits and vegetables were collected from local fields and home gardens 6-7 months after the start of the oil well fires. These foods were analyzed or their inorganic pollutant content (Ni, V, Pb, Cd) either by an atomic absorption spectrophotometer with a graphite furnace or by the cold vapor technique (Hg). Results showed that toxic metals were detected in a number of samples, but contamination did not exceed the maximum permissible concentration of metals in fresh fruits and vegetables as recommended by the FAO/WHO except for higher Hg, Cd, and Pb levels in the tissues of a few fruit and vegetables samples