Environ Monit Assess. 2026 Jun 6;198(7):694. doi: 10.1007/s10661-026-15545-1.
ABSTRACT
Anthropogenic activities and fast industrial growth influence the level of PTEs in the soil and the food chain. The contents of PTEs were examined in two wild Cosmos species (C. bipinnatus and D. cosmos) from Jiangsu City, using chemical and AAS methods to determine the risk to human health. The highest mean concentrations of PTEs in plants showed statistically significant (p < 0.05) differences between diverse plant parts and followed the decreasing order Mn (85.0 mg kg-1 in flower) > Zn (62.0 mg kg-1 in flower) > Cu (12.0 mg kg-1 in flower) > Cr (4.3 mg kg-1 in root) > Ni (0.97 mg kg-1 in root) > Cd (0.38 mg kg-1 in root) > Pb (0.03 mg kg-1 in shoot) > As (0.025 mg kg-1 in root). The highest values of Cr, Mn, Zn, and Cd in plant samples exceeded the permitted limit. While the quantity of Cr in the soil sample was high, the transfer coefficients (K) were high for Zn and Mn. The high percentage of Mn in roots was 68% and 61%, respectively, for C. bipinnatus and D. cosmos. The THQ values for Mn and HI exceeded 1 in all plant parts, except for the D. cosmos shoot (S2) and flower (F2). The assessment revealed that they are indicating a potential non-carcinogenic risk in human health. The TCR values for Cd and Ni showed a potential carcinogenic risk in adult and child health. This study reveals, for the first time, that wild Cosmos plants in an urban environment accumulate PTEs at levels posing a potential human health risk. The key risk metrics (HI > 1, TCR for Cd/Ni > 10-4) are highlighting significant health concerns. It is recommended to limit the use of urban-grown wild Cosmos plants for food purposes until further safety assessments are conducted.
PMID:42250037 | DOI:10.1007/s10661-026-15545-1
