Archive · 22 Sep 2026
Heavy metals in Yamuna vegetables raise food safety concerns
Researchers tested vegetables grown beside a polluted part of the Yamuna River near Delhi.
They found metals such as nickel, chromium, lead, and molybdenum in the vegetables.
Some amounts were much higher than food-safety limits.
Potatoes had especially high nickel levels, while red radishes had high molybdenum levels.
Eating these vegetables regularly could expose people to potentially harmful metals.
The researchers estimated that red radish had the highest possible cancer risk among the vegetables studied.
They also found that molybdenum contributed most to estimated non-cancer risks.
The scientists said polluted irrigation water may carry metals into edible plant parts.
They recommended treating wastewater and checking water and crops regularly.
University of Delhi researchers found multiple heavy metals above food-safety limits in vegetables grown near Delhi’s Yamuna.
Nickel levels were 181 times the limit in potatoes and 97 times in spinach.
Molybdenum in red radish reached 68 times the limit, while chromium and lead also exceeded limits in several vegetables.
Researchers identified red radish as having the highest estimated cancer risk, with nickel and chromium as major contributors.
The study urged wastewater treatment, regular irrigation monitoring, safer crop choices, and improved river-water quality.
- Who
- Researchers from the University of Delhi, led by botany professor Dinabandhu Sahoo, studied the vegetables.
- What
- The study found heavy-metal contamination in vegetables grown along a stretch of the Yamuna, with several concentrations exceeding food-safety limits.
- When
- The study was published in the journal Energy Nexus on Saturday; the article does not provide a calendar date.
- Where
- The samples came from the Kalindi Kunj stretch of the Yamuna in southeast Delhi.
- Why
- The vegetables were grown using water affected by untreated industrial wastewater, inadequately treated domestic sewage, and urban runoff.
- Study location
- Kalindi Kunj, southeast Delhi, along the Yamuna
- Researchers
- University of Delhi researchers led by Dinabandhu Sahoo
- Highest reported excess
- Nickel in potatoes was 181 times the Food and Agriculture Organization limit
- Other major finding
- Molybdenum in red radish was 68 times the stated limit
- Estimated cancer risk
- Highest through red radish, with nickel and chromium identified as principal contributors
- Estimated non-cancer risk
- Molybdenum was the most significant contributor across most vegetables
- Study limitation
- Total chromium was measured without distinguishing the more toxic chromium VI from chromium III