Monte Carlo-Based Assessment of Toxic Metal Contaminations in Urban Agricultural Systems: A Case Study of Lead, Cadmium, and Copper in Vegetables and Fish from Nigeria
Nwanaforo E., Obasi C. N., Akande I. O., Nduka J. K., Offor C. C., Abdulai P. M., Udom G. J., Orisakwe O. E.
Biological Trace Element Research
Urban Farm DB summary
A study of lead, cadmium and copper in urban agricultural systems in three industrial-area Nigerian cities (Owerri, Aba and Port Harcourt), assessing spatial distribution, bioaccumulation and health risks using both deterministic and stochastic (Monte Carlo) approaches. Atomic absorption spectrophotometry found soil concentrations following Pb > Cu > Cd in Owerri and Port Harcourt but Pb > Cd > Cu in Aba, while fish and vegetables followed Pb > Cd > Cu at all three sites. The deterministic assessment found cadmium's incremental lifetime cancer risk exceeded the US EPA acceptable threshold of 1×10⁻⁶ at every site for every sample examined, identifying cadmium as the metal of greatest concern.