• Cd and Pb in the soil samples under Lepidium meyenii (maca) cultivation exceeded the allowed limit. • Levels of Pb and Cd concentrations in yellow and purple maca hypocotyls were above the allowed limits. • Estimated daily intake of As, Cd, Pb, Fe and Zn were within the allowed limit. • Hazard quotient and hazard index values of As, Cd, Pb, Fe and Zn were less than one. • The consumption of maca hypocotyls in children and adults could pose a significant health risk for consumers.

Soil is exposed to heavy metals that are associated with the anthropogenic activities, and is currently an environmental and food safety problem. The concentration and source of heavy metals in soils, the level of contamination and the potential for ecological risk in high Andean ecosystems were evaluated. The soil samples were collected from the surface part in which Andean crops were sown and the concentration of As, Cd, Pb, Fe and Zn was quantified. The concentrations of heavy metals in soils did not exceed the threshold of the national and international standard, while As, Pb and Zn exceeded the values of the background. The contamination factor (CF) values showed a high level of contamination for As and moderate for Pb and Zn. The geoaccumulation index (Igeo) values showed that As had the highest load of accumulated pollutants in soils by anthropogenic contribution. A moderate degree of contamination (CD) was found in 61.5% of the sampling sites. The potential ecological risk index (RI) showed that the soils of the study area presented a moderate to low potential ecological risk, and As was the main pollutant in high Andean soils. As, Pb and Zn occurring in high Andean soils mainly originated from human activities such as agricultural practices, whereas Fe mainly originated from the parent material of the soil. The effects of the use of organic and inorganic fertilizers on the accumulation of heavy metals in and Andean agricultural products must be analyzed and verified to protect the health of the inhabitants and the environment.

In this study, the quality of sediment and surface water in two natural wetlands, Paca and Tragadero, in the central region of Peru was evaluated using pollution indices, including the geoaccumulation index, pollutant load index, modified pollution degree, potential ecological risk index, and site rank index, for four heavy metals. Principal component analysis was used to identify potential metal contaminant sources. The determination of Fe, Zn, Pb, and As was performed by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The average concentrations of metals in the sediments of both lagoons decreased in the order Fe > Zn > Pb > As. The analysis of the contamination indices determined that As and Pb are the elements that contribute the most to environmental degradation in both wetlands. There is a strong correlation between the values of potential ecological risk and the modified degree of contamination, revealing that the Paca wetland has a moderate degree of contamination and potential ecological risk, while Tragadero presents a high degree of contamination and considerable potential ecological risk. The application of the site rank index showed that more than 50% of the sampling sites have between high and severe contamination. The principal component analysis presented 79.2% of the total variance. Finally, the results of this study are essential in order to carry out preventive actions for environmental protection in these lake ecosystems of great importance for many activities, such as bird watching.

Soil infertility is a global problem, amendments such as organic fertilizers and mineral fertilizers are used to improve crop yields. However, these fertilizers contain heavy metals as well as essential mineral elements. The objective of the study was to determine the effect of organic and inorganic fertilizer on the accumulation and health risk of heavy metals in tubers. The plants were cultivated at an altitude of 3970 m using four treatments (poultry manure, alpaca manure, island guano and inorganic fertilizer) and a control group. Soil contamination levels and the degree of metal accumulation in the tubers were also determined. As a result, it was found that the use of inorganic fertilizer and poultry manure increased the values of Cu and Zn in soils, exceeding the recommended standards. The accumulation of heavy metals in potato tubers did not exceed the maximum recommended limits with the exception of Pb, which exceeded the limit allowed by the FAO/WHO (0.1 mg kg⁻¹). Poultry manure contributed to the highest accumulation of Zn, Cu and Pb in tubers with 11.62±1.30, 3.48±0.20 and 0.12 ±0.02 mg kg^-1 respectively. The transfer of metals from the soil to the tubers was less than 1. Individual and total non-carcinogenic risk values were less than 1, indicating a safe level of consumption for children and adults. The cancer risk was found to be within an acceptable range. However, poultry manure and inorganic fertilizer treatments had the highest total cancer risk values in both age groups, suggesting a long-term carcinogenic risk.

Contamination generated by dumps is an environmental problem because the soils around the dumps are used for the cultivation of agricultural products and pastures, and could constitute a threat to human health. The contamination index and ecological risk potential for heavy metals in...

Agricultural soils irrigated with contaminated water from metallurgical mining activities for more than 70 years constitute an environmental problem and a concern for food security and human health. The presence of lead in soil and cultivated pastures is highly dangerous, due to its toxicity,...