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Bioaccumulation and Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Agricultural Soils and Food Crops Irrigated with Wastewater in the Dhaka Peri-Urban Zone

Students & Supervisors

Student Authors
Bushra Kaiser
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science & Engineering, FST
Shraboni Biswas Naboni
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science & Engineering, FST
Tamim Hasan Apurbo
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science & Engineering, FST
Supervisors
Md. Mortuza Ahmmed
Associate Professor, Faculty, FST

Abstract

Farming now utilizes a lot of waste waters due to the substantial expansion of Dhaka's peri-urban area. This process affects the environment and human health by releasing heavy metals into the soil and crops. The main issue is that we don't fully understand how these metals have accumulated in the area. The proposed study focuses on crop uptake and soil absorption over time, aiming to (i) examine the bioaccumulation of heavy metals in agricultural soils and crops irrigated with wastewater in Dhaka's peri-urban area and (ii) evaluate the risks that heavy metals present to public health and food safety. The data set focused on crop absorption, heavy metal levels, soil PH and the potential health risks associated with them from 1995 to 2024. Statistical methods were used to spot trends and relationships in the information. The finding indicates that the concentration of heavy metals in soil as well as crops fluctuated over time , and risk assessment indices also varied accordingly. The study shows that soil heavy metals weakly reduce crop uptake (–0.134) and slightly lower soil pH (–0.162). Crop uptake has almost no effect on pH (0.014) but modestly lowers the risk index (-0.332). Higher pH marginally raises risk (0.160), while soil metals have little effect (–0.082). Correlations are mostly weak, except crop uptake vs. risk, which has a moderately negative relationship. These results suggest that the existence of heavy metals in soil and crops might pose a potential health risk to humans. The work highlights the importance of regular monitoring of heavy metal contents in crops irrigated with wastewater to ensure food security. The findings highlight the necessity for future assessments on pollution risk and in developing approaches to prevent the bioaccumulation of heavy metals.

Keywords

Wastewater irrigation Heavy metals Soil and crop contamination Bioaccumulation Food safety

Publication Details

  • Type of Publication:
  • Conference Name: Gazipur Agricultural University International Conference (GAUIC 2025)
  • Date of Conference: 12/12/2025 - 12/12/2025
  • Venue: Gazipur Agricultural University, Gazipur, Bangladesh
  • Organizer: Gazipur Agricultural University
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