Health Risk Assessment of Tetracyclines Contamination in Soil-Cabbage (<i>Brassica campestris</i> L. ssp. <i>chinensis</i>) System

Tetracyclines (TCs) pollution in vegetable fields is a widely recognized concern, yet the health and ecological risks of TCs residues in the soil–cabbage food chain remain unclear. This study used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to investigate the health risks associated with TCs contamination in soil–cabbage (<i>Brassica campestris</i> L. ssp. <i>chinensis</i>) systems to better understand TCs accumulation in soil–cabbage and its impact on human health. The human health risks of the edible parts of Chinese cabbage and the ecological risks of TCs-contaminated soils were assessed using the health risk quotient method (RQ) and risk quotient method, respectively. The results showed that after 65 days of tetracycline (TC), chlortetracycline (CTC), and oxytetracycline (OTC) treatments, the degradation rates of TCs in soil were higher in black soil than in purplish clay soil, following the order of OTC > CTC > TC. As the three types of TCs concentration increased (0–20 mg kg⁻¹), their accumulation in the leaves and roots of Chinese cabbage in purplish clay soil was generally higher than in black soil. The health risk values of the three types of TCs in Chinese cabbage were also higher in purplish clay soil than in black soil, following the order of TC > CTC > OTC. Under controlled pot experimental conditions, the TC content in Chinese cabbage grown in purplish clay soil posed moderate risks to children aged 1–6 years (0.1 < HQ < 1.0), while the CTC and OTC contents in Chinese cabbage leaves indicated low risks to both adults and children (HQ ≤ 0.1). Additionally, all three TCs in both soils posed high ecological risks (RQ ≥ 1.0), with risk values being higher in purplish clay soil than in black soil, following the order of TC > CTC > OTC. Consequently, more fertile soils can help mitigate the impact of TCs pollution on human health and ecological safety.