National study reveals vegetables sold in Delhi markets contains toxic metals

New Delhi: A study by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) has revealed the presence of a high concentration of lead in vegetables grown on the Yamuna floodplains.

If consumed over a prolonged duration, such vegetables can cause several diseases including cancer, lower energy level and damage of blood composition and vital organs.

The study was conducted in February this year by NEERI, a research institute under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). The findings were placed before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in May this year.

These vegetables are sold in large wholesale mandis in Azadpur, Ghazipur and Okhla, which are further distributed at weekly markets and sold by local vendors across the city.

The highest lead concentration has been detected in vegetables sold in East Delhi.

Senior principal scientist and head of NEERI, SK Goyal said, “We conducted tests on different samples of seven types of winter vegetables from Usmanpur, Mayur Vihar and Geeta Colony. The level of lead in all was found to be higher than the Indian permissible limits. However, the level of other metals like mercury, nickel and cadmium was within the limits.”

Goyal further added, “The source of lead could be industries dealing in automobile parts, batteries, paint and polythene. Use of lead-based compounds are also potential triggers.”

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has set the limit for lead in all vegetables at 2.5mg/kg by, but the level of metal detected in vegetable samples collected from these floodplains ranges from 2.8mg/kg to 13.8mg/kg, with coriander collected from east Delhi’s Geeta Colony having the highest concentration.

Only 2% of the Yamuna’s stretch flows through Delhi, but 70% of the city’s polluted water flows into it. Although the NGT had banned the cultivation of edible crops and fodder on its floodplains in 2015, the practice has continued unabated.

Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan's Manoj Misra said, “Lead poisoning can lead to mental retardation in children and the authorities should immediately take action to stop it.”

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