PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF HEAVY METALS CONTENT OF
VEGETABLES GROWN IN INDUSTRIAL AREAS IN ROMANIA
MIRELA NEDELESCU1, DAN BĂLĂLĂU2, DANIELA BACONI2*, MIHAI JULA3, DALIA
MORAR3, ALINA GLIGOR3, CRISTIAN BĂLĂLĂU4
1Hygiene and Environmental Health Department, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Carol Davila”, Bucharest
2Toxicology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Carol Davila”, Bucharest
3Hunedoara Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Directorate, Deva, Hunedoara County
4Department of General Surgery, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Carol Davila”, Emergency Universitary Hospital
“St. Pantelimon”, Bucharest
*corresponding author: daniela_baconi@yahoo.com
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Abstract:
Heavy metals represent an important health risk to people living in historically contaminated areas with these substances,
especially due to their bioaccumulation in soils, through the transfer to vegetables affecting the health of consumers. The aim
of this study was to determine the concentrations of heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Cu and Zn) in vegetables grown in two nonferrous
metallurgical industrial areas in Romania: Copşa Mică and Zlatna. Samples of potato, carrot and yellow onion
harvested in these regions were analysed through atomic absorption spectrophotometric techniques and the results revealed
elevated Pb and Cd concentrations in carrots and yellow onion grown in Copşa Mică area, while the concentrations of Pb and
Cd in vegetables harvested in Zlatna area exceed the maximum limits only in carrots. Concentrations of Cu and Zn in
vegetables analysed were below the maximum permissible limits, both in Zlatna and Copşa Mică area.

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