As a cereal crop, maize ranked
third place after wheat and rice in terms of land area coverage for its
cultivation, and in Bangladesh, it ranked second place after rice in its
production. As the substitution of wheat products, maize has been used widely
in baking for human consumption and animal fodder. However, maize grown in this
soil around the coal-burning power plant may cause heavy metals uptake that
poses a risk to humans. The study was conducted at the maize fields in the
Ganges delta floodplain soils of Bangladesh to know the concentration of eight
heavy metals (Ni, Cr, Cd, Mn, As, Cu, Zn, and Pb) in soil and maize samples
using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) and to estimate
the risk of heavy metals in maize grains. Mean concentrations of heavy metals
(mg/kg) in soil were in decreasing order of Zn (10.12) > Cu
(10.02) > Mn (5.48) > Ni (4.95) > Cr
(3.72) > As (0.51) > Pb (0.27) > Cd
(0.23). The plant tissues showed the descending order of heavy metal concentration
as roots > grains > stems > leaves. BCF
values for As, Cd, Pb, and Mn in roots were higher than 1.0, indicating
considerable accumulation of these elements in maize via roots. Total hazard
quotient (ƩTHQ) of heavy metals through maize grain consumption was 3.7E+00 and
3.9E+00 for adults and children, respectively, indicating non-cancer risk to
the consumers. Anthropogenic influences contributed to the heavy metals
enrichment in the Ganges delta floodplain soils around the thermal plant, and
potential risks (non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic) were observed due to the
consumption of maize grain cultivated in the study area.