From Soil to Plate

Description

From Soil to Plate: Toxic Metal Transfer, Bioaccumulation Mechanisms, and Emerging Dietary Health Risks in Vegetables provides an integrated assessment of how toxic metals move from contaminated agricultural soils into vegetables and ultimately affect human health. Drawing on 2020–2026 evidence, the book connects metal sources and soil speciation with rhizosphere processes, transporter-mediated root uptake, plant translocation, cellular sequestration, dietary exposure, bioaccessibility, and health outcomes. It quantitatively compares transfer factors, bioconcentration factors, hazard indices, and cancer risks across regions and vegetable groups, highlighting the consistently greater vulnerability of children and the importance of leafy vegetables. Particular attention is given to Sub-Saharan Africa, where severe risks coexist with limited surveillance data. The book also evaluates biochar, grafting, and other mitigation approaches, while identifying priorities for harmonized exposure assessment, bioaccessibility correction, mixture-toxicity research, and sustainable remediation.