Watch what you eat | Lead contamination in 26% of vegetables samples in Bengaluru: CPCB

Over two years after DH reported on heavy metal contamination in vegetables based on a study, new tests and analysis by a committee comprising Central and state authorities have confirmed the presence of lead, a highly toxic metal, and pesticides.

DH had on October 25, 2023, reported on the study by the Environment Management and Policy Research Institute (EMPRI) about heavy metal concentration in many of the 400 samples the researchers collected for the study.

The National Green Tribunal had later taken up a suo motu case and ordered the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to “ascertain the ground situation and also duly examine the report of the EMPRI”.

The CPCB, which argued that heavy metals and pesticide analysis had to be carried out by FSSAI-approved laboratories, had set up a five-member committee that collected 72 samples of vegetables. Of the total samples, 53 were collected from markets in Nelamangala, Rajajinagar and Kolar while the rest were from agriculture fields in Nelamangala, Kolar and Chikkaballapur.

19 contaminated samples

Of the 72 samples drawn by the committee, 19 contained lead higher than the prescribed limits as per the results of the test conducted in a FSSAI approved laboratory.

While the EMPRI report had flagged contamination of many heavy metals, the CPCB tests, however, found that lead was the sole contaminant, exceeding the limits set by the Food Safety and Standards Regulations (FSSR).

The sample of brinjal, branded as organic, contained 1.953 mg/kg of lead, about 20 times more than the prescribed limit of 0.1 mg/kg. It was about 18 times higher than the limit in little gourds (tondekai). Flat bean had 1.825 mg/kg of lead, nine times higher than the prescribed limit of 0.2 mg/kg.

Leafy greens and cabbage samples contained five times more amount of lead than the prescribed limit of 0.3 mg/kg. Cucumber, ridge gourd, capsicum, beetroot, bitter gourd, turnip, squash and chilli bajji were among the other samples that were found to have more lead than the amount prescribed by FSSR.

The team also collected 26 soil samples from 13 locations in Kolar, Chikkaballapur and Nelamangala. As many as 23 samples were found to be contaminated.

To a question on the exclusion of vegetable growing areas in the outskirts of southwest Bengaluru, a member of the committee said the report should be seen as a preliminary effort in identifying the potential risks. “This should be treated as a starting point. We need regular and comprehensive studies at the local level led by agriculture departments and agriculture universities to understand the extent of contamination and find remedial measures,” he said.

The report, on its part, recommended further studies and building awareness among farmers on the use of pesticides.

Banned pesticides

The tests found residues of 12 pesticides exceeding the limit prescribed by the FSSR standards. Capsicum, chilli bajji, ginger and cucumber were the four vegetables that had high amounts of pesticides.

Among the pesticides found was the highly toxic monocrotophos, which was banned in 2023 in India with an additional year to clear the stocks. The samples of chilli bajji contained two times more monocrotophos than the prescribed limit of 0.2 mg/kg.

Some of the other pesticides like acephate, ethion, fipronil and profenofos have been banned in the European Union in view of their toxicity.