• ZAFAR IQBAL KHAN

• HAREEM SAFDAR

• KAFEEL AHMAD

• HUMAYUN BASHIR

• KHALID NAWAZ

• MAHPARA SHEHZADI

• IJAZ RASOOL NOORKA

• MUDASRA MUNIR

• FRASALEEM MALIK

• ASMA ASHFAQ

• HIRA MUQADDAS

• HAFSA MEMOONA

• MADIHA SANA

• MADIHA SANA

• NAUNAIN MEHMOOD

• NAUNAIN MEHMOOD

• TASAWAR ABBAS

Abstract

Wastewater is a source of some nutrients essential for soil fertility, but include various types of contaminants like heavy metals that pollute the soil and crops. In this regard, an experiment was carried out at Department of Botany, University of Sargodha to evaluate the possible health risks of heavy metals in forages. Forages both forsummer and winter were grown with different water treatments (sewage and tap water). The concentration of cadmium in water, root and forage samples was determined. Moreover, bioconcentration factor, pollution load index, daily intake of metals and health risk index were calculated. In tap water Cd value was 0.54 mg/L and in sewage water, it was 0.56 mg/L. In soil the calculated Cd value was lower than USEPA standards. The maximum Cd in root was calculated in winter forages (1.15 mg/kg). The calculated value for Cd in leaves was higher than the maximum permissible limit 0.5 mg/kg by World Health Organization. The maximum observed value for cadmium bioconcentration factor in Medicago sativa was (9.77) grown in winter. The maximum pollution load index observed for Cd was 1.148. The maximum value for daily intake of metal observed was 0.028 mg/kg/day and minimum observed was 0.00948 mg/kg/day.

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