From Soil to Plate: Lithium and Other Trace Metals Uptake in Vegetables Under Variable Soil Conditions.

ABSTRACT: The bioaccumulation of trace metals in edible crops is a key pathway of dietary exposure, with direct implications for environmental health and food safety. This study specifically investigated the bioaccumulation and soil-plant transfer of lithium (Li) in edible crops, alongside other selected trace metals (Cu, Mn, Sr, Zn), to understand its unique environmental mobility and dietary exposure risks in onion, garlic, green salad, cucumber, and zucchini cultivated across Romania. Forty-two paired samples of vegetable tissues and rhizosphere soils were collected from eleven agricultural regions, and were analyzed using spectroscopic techniques. Soils were predominantly neutral to slightly acidic, conditions that significantly affected metal mobility and uptake. Results revealed element-specif

SUBMITTER: Paun N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12656363 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature