Due to water scarcity, the use of wastewater to irrigate crops is on the rise all over the world, including in Egypt (particularly untreated wastewater). The purpose of this study is to see if irrigation with untreated industrial wastewater in natural fields can cause Abelmoschus esculentus Moench. (okra plant) to accumulate and translocate eight trace metals (lead: Pb, cadmium: Cd, chromium: Cr, copper: Cu, iron: Fe, manganese: Mn, nickel: Ni, and zinc: Zn) in its different tissues. It was extended to look at the effects of wastewater irrigation on the farmed okra plants’ growth characteristics, nutrients, colors, and organic content. Two studied sites at South of Cairo have been investigated: the first site (29°42'31.17" N and 31°15'11.56" E) represented by five cultivated fields irrigated with Nile water (control) and the second site (29°42'37.87" N and 31°17'14.53" E) fields irrigated with effluent received untreated industrial wastewater. Three composite soil and irrigated water samples were collected from each site. Because of wastewater irrigation, soil and plant nutrients (nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus) decreased significantly (at P < 0.01), whereas trace metals increased significantly (at P < 0.01 and P < 0.05) for soil and plant samples irrigated with untreated wastewater. Due to irrigation with untreated wastewater, there was also a significant decrease in okra growth metrics (at P < 0.05) and leaves photosynthetic pigments: chlorophyll a and b, and carotenoids (at P < 0.01 and P < 0.05). In the plant’s fruits (edible section) watered with wastewater, iron was the most abundant metal. Besides, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Zn concentrations were also in the phytotoxic range (42.57, 140.67, 2756.67, 1293.33, 1326.67, and 877.83 mg kg⁻¹, respectively). All trace elements examined accumulate in the roots of wastewater irrigated okra (Bioaccumulation factor > 1). Okra plants, on the other hand, did not have an accumulated trace metals strategy in their shoots since the translocation factor was less than one. Because of substantial trace metal accumulation in their edible sections, the scientists advised against eating okra plants grown in fields watered with untreated wastewater.

In this study, 30 pesticide residues in 45 fresh-eating cucumber, tomato, and okra fruit samples collected from the Khuzestan province as the main agricultural products in Iran using the QuEChERS extraction method were analyzed. In addition, noncarcinogen and carcinogen health risk assessments were evaluated. Results indicated that 93% of cucumber samples had at least one pesticide, of course, less than the maximum residue limit (MRL). All tomato and okra fruit samples were contaminated by diazinon. All pesticides detected in tomato samples were below national MRL except for thiamethoxam in four samples. In okra fruit samples, all detected diazinon and malathion, but only tebuconazole fungicide exceeded MRL. In addition, the hazard index (HI) was 0.23 and 1.06 in cucumber samples, 0.33 and 1.51 in tomato samples, and 5.5E-03 and 0.025 in okra fruit samples in adults and children, respectively. The use of cucumber and tomato may have notable risks in the short term in children group age. Ranking based on total CR was 1.2E-05 in tomato, 7.7E-06 for cucumber, and in okra 9.1E-11 because of the difenoconazole residue. However, significant carcinogenic risk threatens cucumber and tomato consumers.

Heavy metal accumulation has much increased in edible parts of fresh fruits and vegetables due to use of industrial waste/effluent, and wastewater. In the current work, sewage wastewater was reclaimed through a column filled with sand having a mesh size of 0.5 mm and its effect was investigated on concentration of different heavy metals, vegetative growth, and yield of okra and tomato. The use of unfiltered sewage wastewater (UFSW) had considerably higher concentrations of heavy metals but it substantially increased plant height, leaf number, and leaf area in both okra and tomato plants in contrast to filtered sewage wastewater (FSW). The application of UFSW resulted in a significantly higher accumulation of lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), iron (Fe), and copper (Cu) in roots and edible parts of okra and tomato as compared with FSW treatment. However, FSW and UFSW did not significantly influence concentrations of chromium (Cr) and cadmium (Cd) in roots and edible parts of both okra and tomato. In conclusion, sand column filtration technique could be efficiently used for the reclamation of sewage wastewater, and reduction of various heavy metals present in sewage wastewater–irrigated crops.

Lead (Pb) is a widely occurring heavy metal employed in industrial products and hence released into the environment, causing several environmental health risk concerns. This study comprehensively surveyed the literature on Pb contamination in different agricultural foods and food products commonly consumed by Bangladeshi inhabitants and assessed associated cancer and non-cancer health risks. Cereals (i.e., rice, wheat and maize) contained very high concentrations of Pb among the selected food items, the highest was found in wheat (4.04 µg g⁻¹), while rice and maize were 2.22 and 1.43 µg g⁻¹, respectively, that exceeded the maximum allowable concentration (MAC, 0.20 µg g⁻¹) for cereals. Vegetables contained higher Pb than the MAC of 0.01 µg g⁻¹, except for mushroom, green banana, cauliflower and arum. In addition, pulses also contained a moderate amount of Pb; however, fruits contained a low level of Pb, except for mangoes. When examining spatial differences in Pb contamination, most districts exhibited high Pb content in cereals; however, vegetables of the Tangail district exhibited the highest Pb concentrations (2.17 µg g⁻¹), originating from industrial operations and vehicular emissions. In terms of human health risk assessment, it was observed that consumption of rice, zucchini, tesla gourd, sponge gourd, okra, drumstick lib, chili and cabbage might pose non-cancer health risks (THQs > 1); however, fruits and pulses do not pose any non-cancer health risks to Bangladeshi residents. Most of the cereals and vegetables showed a higher value than 10⁻⁶, indicating a potential cancer risk; however, fruits and pulses showed lower risk only marginally exceeding the lower allowable limit (i.e., 10⁻⁶).

The seed extract of Abelmoschus esculentus (AE), also known as Okra, was used as a source of reducing and capping agents to synthesized biogenic titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO₂ NPs) due to its rich flavonoid contents. The synthesized AE-TiO₂ nanoparticles were further evaluated by the effect of loading of TiO₂ NPs and irradiation time on the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye. The synthesized TiO₂ NPs were then characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectra, UV–visible spectrophotometry, and particle size distribution (PSD). The findings confirmed the successful synthesis of the spherical anatase phase of TiO₂ NPs, as well as the existence of phytochemicals in the extract, which were involved in the capping/stabilization of NPs. The synthesized TiO₂ NPs were found to be 60–120 nm in size and almost uniformly distributed throughout the sample. The photocatalytic activity measured in a 300 mL cylindrical photochemical reactor and irradiated with 250 watts UV lamp was investigated based on methylene blue degradation. Effects of irradiation time and catalyst loading were elucidated and correlated with the characteristics of the catalysts. The findings revealed that the synthesized TiO₂ NPs were well-dispersed, stable, and could achieve more than 80 % degradation in 240 min of irradiation with 90 mg/L of AE-TiO₂ NPs loading compared to only 70 % by the commercial one. These results suggested that AE-TiO₂ NPs possesses significant catalytic activity, and the photocatalytic process could be used to degrade, decolorize, and mineralize the methylene blue dye. The polyphenolic tannins present in the extract were the reason behind the desirable characteristics of the nanoparticles and better photocatalytic activity of AE-TiO₂ NPs.

Food safety has often attracted attention worldwide. Few studies have investigated the heavy metal (HM) pollution and health risk assessment of crops and vegetables. The current work was conducted to evaluate the human risk assessment of HM (Cu, Cd, Cr, Pb, and Zn) in radish, lettuce, tomato, onion, turnip, squash, okra, sunflower, Jews mallow, and garden rocket cultivated in treated wastewater (TWW)-irrigated sites as compared with those cultivated in freshwater (FW)-irrigated sites. Irrigation water, soil, and different plants were collected from 6 farmlands irrigated with TWW and two agricultural sites irrigated with FW (Nile river). Heavy metal transfer factor (HMTF), chronic daily intake of metals (CDIM), health hazard risk (HR), and health hazard index (HI) were estimated. The results showed that the tested HM levels in FW and TWW were below the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Egyptian standards recommended for irrigation. In soil samples, HM levels were below the permissible limits for both tested sites. The HM in soil and plants grew in TWW-irrigated sites possessed multiple levels higher than those grown in FW-irrigated sites. Among different plants, HM levels in the edible parts of plants grown in TWW-irrigated sites followed in decreasing order: tomato > sunflower >Jew’s mallow = turnip = squash > lettuce > okra = radish > onion > garden rocket. The mean CDIM and HR values of plants irrigated using TWW were higher than those irrigated using FW. Furthermore, HR values for all plants grown in polluted and unpolluted sites were < 1 except Cd in plants grown in the TWW-irrigated farmlands. The mean HI for radish, lettuce, tomato, onion, turnip, squash, okra, sunflower, Jews mallow, and garden rocket grown in TWW-irrigated sites were 2.08, 2.39, 1.76, 1.53, 2.08, 1.80, 2.03, 1.91, 1.82, and 1.44 (for adult), and 2.39, 2.75, 2.71, 1.75, 2.38, 2.06, 2.33, 2.69, 2.10, and 1.65 (for children). Plants irrigated with TWW showed a higher HMTF than plants irrigated with FW. Jew’s mallow and okra irrigated with TWW had a maximum HMTF. Consequently, different practical measures can be taken to minimize the HM levels in agricultural foodstuffs. These measures include preventing the excessive application of pesticides and fertilizers for crop production and continuous monitoring of different foodstuffs in the market.

Coagulation and flocculation are two of the steps in the water treatment process in which chemical coagulants based on iron salts or aluminum are used. In order to replace the aluminum or to reduce the concentration of the metal, several natural alternatives to assist in the coagulation/flocculation process have been evaluated, including the use of Abelmoschus escuentus Moench (okra) as a flocculating agent. To determine the degradation time of the okra solution, spectral measurements were performed on the UV–Vis region. The coagulation/flocculation tests were carried out in a jar test equipment, using aluminum polychoride as a coagulant, 1-mgL⁻¹ okra solution as a flocculation aid, and the alkalinizing hydroxide of calcium. Through the spectral measurements and the test in the jar test, it was possible to verify that the solution of the okra remains stable only until the time of 24 h, and after this time, begins the degradation process of the constituents of the okra that promote the flocculation of it. In addition, satisfactory results were obtained in the treatment of water in 24 h, allowing the use of okra as flocculation aid and aluminum polychloride coagulant, as in effluent color removal, with an efficiency of 91 to 96%, and organic matter removal, with an efficiency of 92 to 93.5%.

This study was designed to assess the gradual increase in the use of insecticides on vegetables and to familiarize the consumers regarding the insecticide residues. The purpose of this research work was to highlight the detrimental effects of pyrethroids (bifenthrin, cyfluthrin, cypermethrin, deltamethrin, fenvalerate, lambda-cyhalothrin, and permethrin) compare with dietary intake assessment of eggplant and okra grown in peri-urban environment. In this manner, a total of 180 (n = 60 × 3) samples of eggplant (Solanum melongena) and okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) were procured from the peri-urban farming system of Faisalabad, Multan, and Gujranwala to assess the pyrethroid residues along with their dietary intake assessment. The procured vegetables were quantified for pyrethroid residues by using gas chromatography (GC) equipped with an electron capture detector (ECD). Outcomes of this study revealed that for okra samples, the highest residues of bifenthrin (1.25 mg kg⁻¹) were found in Gujranwala then Multan (1.5 mg kg⁻¹) and Faisalabad (1.04 mg kg⁻¹), whereas in eggplant, the highest residues were recorded for bifenthrin from Faisalabad (1.33 mg kg⁻¹) and Gujranwala (0.78 mg kg⁻¹). In Multan, the highest residues for cyfluthrin (1.18 mg kg⁻¹) were reported in eggplant. Out of all analyzed samples for pyrethroid residues, 32% samples contained detectable residues and 6% samples exceeded their maximum residual limits (MRLs) established by the European Union (EU). Dietary intake assessment (mg kg⁻¹ day⁻¹) was calculated as per their maximum permissible intake (MPI) values, i.e., bifenthrin (1.28), cyfluthrin (1.28), cypermethrin (3.20), deltamethrin (0.64), fenvalerate (1.28), lambda-cyhalothrin (0.064), and permethrin (3.20) respectively. Conclusively, residues from the Multan region were greater than those from Gujranwala and Faisalabad showing excessive application of pyrethroids. Overall results revealed that although some samples exceeded MRLs in selected areas, their safe consumption limit was found.