Determination of copper and cadmium concentration in greenhouse tomatoes produced in Hamadan province during 2012

Excessive accumulation of heavy metals in agricultural soils not only leads to environmental pollution, but also results in increased uptake of heavy metals by plants, which in turn affects the quality and safety of the foods. Cadmium and copper are considered as the major pollutants of greenhouse soils that stem from agricultural techniques and chemical materials. This is a study aimed to investigate the contamination of greenhouse tomatoes crop with copper and cadmium in Hamadan province. A total of 72 samples were obtained from 18 greenhouses (4 samples from each) located in 6 cities of the province. Following preparation procedure, the concentrations of the elements were measured using atomic emission. According to the results, the concentrations of cadmium and copper in tomato samples were estimated at the range of 0.08–5.25 and 0.01–9.25 mg/kg, respectively. Statistical analysis showed a correlation between cadmium and copper concentrations. Moreover, comparing the results with the approved level of these elements revealed that the concentration of cadmium and copper in some of the greenhouse tomatoes were above the acceptable level. That is to say, the concentration of cadmium in all of the samples was determined as health threatening level.