Arsenic and trace elements in groundwater, vegetables and selected food grains from middle gangetic plain-human health perspective

Very limited efforts have been directed to determine the degree of Arsenic (As) and other trace elements contamination in food grains and understanding the associated risk to human through consumption of food in middle Gangetic plain of Bihar, India. Arsenic concentration in groundwater (>80%) samples found above BIS and WHO permissible limit, while 28% samples exceeded the previous WHO drinking water guideline (400 µg/L) for manganese (Mn). In dietary food grains As followed the sequence as rice > wheat > maize. The estimated daily intake by individual of As, Mn, Ni, Cd, Co, Pb, Zn and Cr from drinking water and dietary food grains were 169,14582, 474, 19, 26, 1449, 12955 and 882 µg/ kg. The Health Risk Index (HRI) were >1 for As in drinking water, vegetables and rice indicated the potential health risk to the residents of the study area. However, HRI