Full text
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| Author(s): |
Rafael Carvalho Fior
Total Authors: 1
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| Document type: | Master's Dissertation |
| Press: | Piracicaba. |
| Institution: | Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA/STB) |
| Defense date: | 2012-10-09 |
| Examining board members: |
Takashi Muraoka;
Dirceu Maximino Fernandes;
Maria Fernanda Georgina Gine Rosias
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| Advisor: | Takashi Muraoka |
| Abstract | |
Large areas have been affected by heavy metals in concentrations which may pose environmental hazard. Due to increased industrial activity and highly technical agriculture, it becomes critical to monitor the levels of heavy metals in soil, because plants behave as a mechanism for transfer of contaminants from soil to higher levels of the food chain. Ingestion of vegetables containing high concentrations of heavy metals is one of the main ways in which these elements enter the human body. Once in human body, heavy metals are deposited in the bone and fat tissues, causing potential harmful effects to human health. Slowly released into the body, heavy metals may cause an array of diseases. The project was divided in two stages, each one with a specific objective: 1st) to determine the concentrations of zinc, copper, iron and manganese in the most frequently consumed foodstuff in the São Paulo State, Brazil and to compare the heavy metal contents with the permissible limits established by the Brazilian legislation; to calculate the daily intake of heavy metals essential to estimate the risk to human health; 2nd) to evaluate the zinc content in leafy vegetables and soils at crop fields; to identify crop with the greatest potential for translocation of zinc into food chain. The vegetable samples were collected at São Paulo General Warehousing and Centers Company, and heavy metal content was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. All vegetables sampled presented average concentrations of zinc and copper lower than the permissible limits established by the Brazilian legislation. So far, the Brazilian legislation has not established a permissible limit for iron and manganese contents. Regarding the consumption habit of the population in the São Paulo State, the daily ingestion of heavy metals is below the oral dose of reference, therefore, the consumption of these vegetables can be considered safe, because they are not in excess. However, the values reported in this study did not reach the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for men and women, which could prove a case of nutritional deficiency in individuals who use this type of diet. Some agricultural areas of the São Paulo State showed soil total Zn concentrations above the benchmark of quality, but none of studied area reached prevention and intervention values, established by CETESB. The vegetables grown in these locations had Zn levels below the tolerance limits established by ANVISA. The rocket plant was the vegetables that more Zn accumulated in the edible part (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 10/04111-3 - Environmental monitoring of zinc in agricultural products and their distribution in plants with the aid of radioisotope 65Zn |
| Grantee: | Rafael Carvalho Fior |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Master |