Two recent researches found alarming levels of harmful heavy metals-such as lead, chromium, and cadmium-in common vegetables, along with pesticide residues in various fruits in the country.
The findings were presented at a seminar organised by the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) in Dhaka.
Senior Scientific Officer of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Dr Mohammad Delwar Hossain, led research titled “Monitoring of Pesticide Residues and their Associated Health Risk Assessment in Fruits.”
His team tested 320 samples-80 each of mango, litchi, Indian plum (ber), and guava. Pesticide residues were found in 39 samples, accounting for 12.19 per cent of the total. The highest pesticide contamination was detected in litchi (18.8 per cent), while mango had the lowest (8.8 per cent).
The fruit samples were collected from Dhaka, Rajshahi, Pabna, and Bogura. Of the contaminated samples, 30 exceeded the maximum residue limit (MRL).
Another study found that brinjal, country bean, cucumber, okra, pointed gourd, and red amaranth contain high levels of toxic heavy metals. Among these, red amaranth was found to have the highest contamination.
The study, led by Professor Shafiqul Islam and Dr Mohammad Ghulam Kibria of Bangladesh Agricultural University, focused on heavy metal contamination in vegetables.
The researchers collected samples from six districts in the Dhaka and Mymensingh divisions and tested nine types of vegetables, including potatoes, brinjal, radish, tomato, cabbage, cucumber, and beans.
Their study found red amaranth containing 704.32 micrograms of cadmium per kilogram, far above the permissible limit of 190 μ/kg. High cadmium levels were also found in brinjal (275.66 μ/kg), cucumber (349 μ/kg), and tomato (195 μ/kg), with the highest contamination detected in Narayanganj district.
Dangerous levels of chromium were also found in beans, cucumber, okra, pointed gourd, and red amaranth.
Lead contamination was identified in brinjal, cabbage, beans, cucumber, radish, potato, tomato, and red cabbage.
The researchers warned that long-term consumption of vegetables contaminated with heavy metals poses significant health risks, including cancer.
They urged regular monitoring of farmers, the implementation of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), and enhanced public awareness to mitigate the risks.
BFSA Chairman Md Zakaria, Professor Md Iqbal Rouf Mamun of Dhaka University, and Dr Shamsad Begum Quraishi of the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission, among others, spoke at the seminar.
