Assessment of heavy metals pollution of soybean grains in North Anhui of China.

Heavy metals may cause deleterious effects on human health through consumption of contaminated food crops. To assess the safety of soybean consumption, concentrations of heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Cr, Ni, Cd, As, Pb and Hg) in soybean grains sampled from the farmland in North Anhui (suitable for high-protein soybeans planting) were analyzed. The results showed that the concentrations of Ni, Cr, Cu and Pb in soybean gains exceeded the Chinese safety limits, with over-standard rate of 92.59%, 74.07%, 37.04% and 9.88% respectively. Spatial distribution of soybean pollution analysis showed that soybeans were severe polluted by Ni and concentrated in the west of North Anhui. SR-μXRF elemental maps of soybean gains indicated Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb and Hg specifically enriched at the embryo. In relation to health risks, there were no obvious non-carcinogenic risk and carcinogenic risk (CR) through ingesting soybeans from North Anhui. But it can induce a threat to people's health if the consumption of soybean exceeds the routine dose.