The food chain, through vegetable consumption, is considered to be an important route of heavy metal exposure. Therefore, in this study, heavy metal concentrations in leafy vegetables grown in the Jazan region of Saudi Arabia were assessed using an ICP-MS. Lettuce, radish, mint, parsley and jarjir (Arugula) were selected for study and subjected to digestion using HCl. The results indicated that the Fe level was highest in all vegetables, while jarjir was the most contaminated vegetable. However, no tested metal exceeded the maximum permissible limits set by the FAO/WHO and European Committee. The possible health hazards associated with the exposure to metal contaminants via vegetable consumption were evaluated by estimating target hazard quotient (THQ) values, and the results revealed that the vegetables grown in close proximity of Jazan city were the most contaminated and those in Darb the least. However, the daily intakes of all the tested metals were well below the corresponding oral reference doses (RfDs), and the THQ values were less than unity, suggesting that the vegetables grown in the studied region were safe and the heavy metal exposure via vegetable consumption was unlikely to cause adverse effects to the local inhabitants of the region.

Requisite reference facts about essential elements in treated and plastic bottled drinking water is usually mentioned on the products. However, more information is sometime crucial regarding trace elements in treated, bottled and other sources of drinking water such as tap water to evaluate their quality. This study is aimed to evaluate drinking water quality in the main governorates (Jazan, Sabya and Abu Arish) of Jazan province located in the South-Western region of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This is the first such study carried out in Jazan city so that the research team can come out with valuable recommendations in the issue. The research team has collected a sum of 68 water samples from different sources comprising hospitals (treated tap water), stations for drinking water treatment (large blue bottles of drinking water) and bottled drinking water (purchased from local markets). Using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), the concentrations of 20 elements were determined. The physiochemical parameters of water samples were measured. All parameters were within the recommended limits of the World Health Organization (WHO, 2011) and Gulf Cooperation Council Standardization Organization (GSO, 2008). Trace and major elements were found to be below the standard guideline values , except for uranium in some tap water samples. This preliminary study will significantly improve the awareness and knowledge among the society about the drinking water quality in Jazan area.

Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Detection of Pesticide Residue in Dams and Well Water in Jazan Area, Saudi Arabia