Abstract
A great amount of iron ore tailings from the collapse of the Fundão dam in Southeast Brazil was deposited in an extensive agricultural area. The presence of this material creates insecurity for the resumption of agricultural activities, especially the cultivation of vegetables, which can accumulate metals at potentially toxic levels. In this study, two vegetables consumed in the affected area, arugula and radish, were cultivated in tailings and in soil. Productivity, photosynthetic pigment content, photosynthetic performance, metal accumulation, and the possible risk to food safety were analyzed. The productivity of both vegetables, arugula and radish, did not differ between cultivation in tailings and in soil. There were no differences in pigment content nor substantial differences in the photosynthetic parameters of plants grown in the two substrates. Plants grown in tailings had higher Fe, Mn, and Na contents than those grown in soil, reflecting the higher levels of these elements in the former. There were no visual signs of metal toxicity for plants grown in the tailings. The levels of metals potentially ingested through estimated consumption of arugula and radish grown in the tailings were below the maximum allowable limits for human consumption. In addition, calculated risk indices suggest a low potential for harm to the health of consumers of cultivated vegetables in the tailings. The results presented here suggest that agricultural cultivation in the tailings is viable and contribute to the resumption of vegetable cultivation in the region affected by the tailings released with the collapse of the Fundão dam.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Data availability
The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
References
Al-Hammad, B. A., & Abd El-Salam, M. M. (2016). Evaluation of heavy metal pollution in water wells and soil using common leafy green plant indicators in the Al-Kharj region. Saudi Arabia. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 188(6), 324–334. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-016-5331-2
Almeida, H. A., Silva, J. G., Custódio, I. G., Karam, D., & Garcia, Q. S. (2022). Productivity and food safety of grain crops and forage species grown in iron ore tailings. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 105, 104–198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2021.104198
Ashraf, M. A., Maah, M. J., & Yusoff, I. (2011). Heavy metals accumulation in plants growing in ex tin mining catchment. International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 8(2), 401–416. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03326227
Bañuelos, G. S., & Ajwa, H. A. (1999). Trace elements in soils and plants: An overview. Journal of Environmental Science & Health Part A, 34(4), 951–974. https://doi.org/10.1080/10934529909376875
Coelho, D. G., Marinato, C. S., Matos, L. P., Andrade, H. M., Silva, V. M., Neves, P. H. S., & Oliveira, J. A. (2020). Evaluation of metals in soil and tissues of economic-interest plants grown in sites affected by the Fundão dam failure in Mariana. Brazil. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management, 16(5), 596–607. https://doi.org/10.1002/ieam.4253
Cruz, F. V. S., Gomes, M. P., Bicalho, E. M., Della Torre, F., & Garcia, Q. S. (2020). Does Samarco’s spilled mud impair the growth of native trees of the Atlantic Rainforest? Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 189, 110021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2019.110021
Dungan, R. S., & Dees, N. H. (2007). Use of spinach, radish, and perennial ryegrass to assess the availability of metals in waste foundry sands. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, 183(1), 213–223. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-007-9370-8
Epa, U. S. (2000). Risk-Based Concentration Table; United States Environmental Protection Agency: Washington. DC.
FAO/WHO. (2011). Working document for Information and use in discussion related to contaminants and toxins in the GSCTFF. Jt. FAO/WHO Food Stand. Program Codex Commision Contaminant Foods, 1–90. https://doi.org/10.3768/rtipress.2014.rb.0007.1405
Gavassi, M. A., Dodd, I. C., Puértolas, J., Silva, G. S., Carvalho, R. F., & Habermann, G. (2020). Aluminum-induced stomatal closure is related to low root hydraulic conductance and high ABA accumulation. Environmental and Experimental Botany, 179, 104233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envexpbot.2020.104233
Grusak, M. A., Pearson, J. N., & Marentes, E. (1999). The physiology of micronutrient homeostasis in field crops. Field Crops Research, 60(1–2), 41–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-4290(98)00132-4
Hu, B., Zhou, J., Liu, L., Meng, W., & Wang, Z. (2017). Assessment of heavy metal pollution and potential ecological risk in soils of Tianjin Sewage Irrigation Region. North China. Journal Environmental Analytical Toxicology, 7(1), 425–431. https://doi.org/10.4172/2161-0525.1000425
IBGE. Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística. (2020). Pesquisa de orçamentos familiares 2017–2018: avaliação nutricional da disponibilidade domiciliar de alimentos no Brasil / IBGE. Coordenação de Trabalho e Rendimento. Retrieved October 10, 2020, from https://biblioteca.ibge.gov.br/index.php/biblioteca-catalogo?view=detalhes&id=2101704
IBGE. Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística. (2010). Pesquisa de Orçamentos Familiares 2008–2009: antropometria e estado nutricional de crianças, adolescentes e adultos no Brasil/ IBGE. Retrieved October 3, 2020, from https://biblioteca.ibge.gov.br/visualizacao/monografias/GEBIS%20-%20RJ/pof/Antropometria%20e%20estado%20nutricional%20de%20crianas_adolescentes%20e%20adultos%20no%20Brasil_2008_2009.pdf
Lere, B. K., Basira, I., Abdulkadir, S., Tahir, S. M., Ari, H. A., & Ugya, A. Y. (2021). Health risk assessment of heavy metals in irrigated fruits and vegetables cultivated in selected farms around Kaduna metropolis. Nigeria. Egyptian Journal Basic and Applied Sciences, 8(1), 317–329. https://doi.org/10.1080/2314808X.2021.1992956
Li, X., Li, Z., Lin, C. J., Bi, X., Liu, J., Feng, X., Zhang, H., Chen, J., & Wu, T. (2018). Health risks of heavy metal exposure through vegetable consumption near a large-scale Pb/Zn smelter in central China. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 161, 99–110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2018.05.080
Lichtenthaler, H. K., & Wellburn, A. R. (1983). Determinations of total carotenoids and chlorophylls a and b of leaf extracts in different solvents. Biochemical Society Transactions, 11, 591–592.
Manea, D. N., Ienciu, A. A., Ştef, R., Şmuleac, I. L., Gergen, I. I., & Nica, D. V. (2020). Health risk assessment of dietary heavy metals intake from fruits and vegetables grown in selected old mining areas—a case study: the banat area of southern carpathians. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(14), 5172. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17145172
Murray, F. J. (1995). A human health risk assessment of boron (boric acid and borax) in drinking water. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, 22(3), 221–230. https://doi.org/10.1006/rtph.1995.0004
Pereira, E. G., Oliva, M. A., Rosado-Souza, L., Mendes, G. C., Colares, D. S., Stopato, C. H., & Almeida, A. M. (2013). Iron excess affects rice photosynthesis through stomatal and non-stomatal limitations. Plant Science, 201, 81–92.
Redel, Y., Cartes, P., Demanet, R., Velásquez, G., Poblete-Grant, P., Bol, R., & Mora, M. L. (2016). Assessment of phosphorus status influenced by Al and Fe compounds in volcanic grassland soils. Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, 16(2), 490–506. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-95162016005000041
Ribeiro, M. A. Q., Almeida, A. A. F. D., Mielke, M. S., Gomes, F. P., Pires, M. V., & Baligar, V. C. (2013). Aluminum effects on growth, photosynthesis, and mineral nutrition of cacao genotypes. Journal of Plant Nutrition, 36(8), 1161–1179. https://doi.org/10.1080/01904167.2013.766889
Rodriguez, M. B., Godeas, A., & Lavado, R. S. (2008). Soil acidity changes in bulk soil and maize rhizosphere in response to nitrogen fertilization. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis, 39(17–18), 2597–2607. https://doi.org/10.1080/00103620802358656
Sarruge, J. R., & Haag, H. P. (1974). Análises químicas em plantas. Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz”, Piracicaba.
World Health Organization [WHO]. (1996). Trace elements in human nutrition and health, ed. CH: WHO, Geneva.
World Health Organization [WHO]. (2009). Dietary exposure assessment of chemicals in food, in: World Health Organization (Ed.) Principles and Methods for the Risk Assessment of Chemicals in Food (pp 1–95).
Acknowledgements
We thank Dr. Fabio Vieira for helping in the selection of areas and substrate sampling campaigns and Amanda Cocovick, for experiment support. This research was financed by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES, Brazil)–Finance Code 001, through a strategic grant (grant number 88881.118082/2016-01). H.A. Almeida scholarship for CAPES. Q. S. Garcia received research productivity scholarship from Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq, Brazil).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no competing interests.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Araújo Almeida, H., Torre, F.D. & Garcia, Q.S. Cultivating vegetables in tailings from the Fundão dam collapse: metal accumulation and risks to food safety. Environ Monit Assess 194, 410 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-022-10060-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-022-10060-5