Lead above safe limit in vegetables grown on Delhi floodplains: Study

A CSIR study found lead levels of 2.55–10.27 mg/kg in vegetables grown on Delhi's Yamuna floodplains, exceeding the FSSAI limit of 2.5 mg/kg.

All seven tested vegetables (cabbage, radish, coriander, spinach, cauliflower, brinjal, fenugreek) exceeded the lead limit, while other metals were within limits.

The Health Risk Index (HRI) for lead exceeded 1 for spinach (1.09) and brinjal (1.01), indicating a potential health concern from regular consumption.

The study, published in the Journal of the Indian Association for Environmental Management, sampled soil and plants from Dashera, Usmanpur Khadar, Geeta Colony, and Mayur Vihar Phase-I.