Comparison of heavy metals concentration and health risk assessment in corn (Zea mays) agricultural field in the southwest of Iran

Comparison of heavy metals concentration and health risk assessment in corn (Zea mays) agricultural field in the southwest of Iran | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Comparison of heavy metals concentration and health risk assessment in corn (Zea mays) agricultural field in the southwest of Iran Zeinab Gholami, Maryam Mohammadi Ruzbahani, Khoshnaz Payandeh, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5206141/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 04 May, 2025 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted 14 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Corn is one of the most important grains in the human food basket, which is also widely cultivated in Iran. This research was conducted with the aim of evaluating the status of arsenic, lead and chromium contamination in corn ( Zea mays ) samples grown in Dezful and Behbahan cities from Khuzestan province. In this research, 5 farms were randomly selected in each city and from each field, 5 soil samples and 5 corn samples were prepared in the summer season. For the autumn season, the same sampling was done as in the summer season. Therefore, a total of 50 soil samples and 50 corn samples were collected from the two study areas of Dezful and Behbahan cities in 2022. The average concentration of Pb, As and Cr in corn samples was 1.84, 1.57 and 4.92 mg kg − 1 and in soil samples 11.91, 4.02 and 76.86 mg kg − 1 respectively. The concentration of As and Cr in the soil of the agricultural fields of Dezful was higher in the fall season and in the corn samples in the summer season. The amount of Pb in corn and soil samples of agricultural fields in Behbahan was higher in autumn than in Dezful. According to the non-carcinogenic risk index (THQ) and carcinogenic risk index (CR), metals can be dangerous for human health, but the non-carcinogenic hazard index (THQ) for Cr does not cause problems for adults and children. Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental sciences Earth and environmental sciences/Ecology/Ecosystem ecology Health sciences/Health care/Public health soil pollution toxic metals human health risk corn agricultural fields food chain Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Introduction Heavy metals have harmful effects on human health, and in recent years exposure to these pollutants has increased due to human industrial activities (Wang et al. 2024 ). The contamination of various sources of water, air and soil by heavy metals has affected a health and environmental concern in the world (Gazwi et al. 2020 ). The entry of heavy metals into food is another important issue that can cause human illness and poisoning (Lee et al. 2023 ). Heavy metals compared to other environmental pollutants may also exist naturally and remain in the environment (Parker et al. 2022 ). Increase of heavy metals has caused toxicity and stability in agricultural soils. Cultivation of agricultural products in soils contaminated with heavy metals causes the transfer of toxic metals to plants (Adimalla et al. 2020 ; Bi et al. 2020 ). Heavy metals in plants can enter the human food chain and cause health problems (Latif et al. 2018 ). Heavy metals in surface soils increase due to two reasons; parent materials and human activities. The use of agricultural chemicals for growing crops, industrial and urban wastewaters used for irrigation causes an increase in heavy metals in soil and water (Chen et al. 2023 ; Bhat et al. 2023 ). Heavy metals several acute and chronic toxic effects of heavy metals affect different organs of the body (Luo et al. 2021 ). Digestive system and kidney dysfunction, nervous system disorders, skin lesions, vascular damage, immune system dysfunction, congenital defects and cancer are examples of complications caused by the toxic effects of heavy metals. Simultaneous exposure to two or more metals may have cumulative effects (Ge et al. 2020 ; Kharazi et al. 2021 ). Arsenic is used in industry as an alloying agent, as well as in the production of glass, pigments, textiles, paper, metal adhesives, wood preservatives, and ammunition. Arsenic is also used in the leather tanning process and to a limited extent in pesticides and pharmaceuticals. Inorganic compounds of arsenic are very toxic and carcinogenic, and arsenic can also exist in organic form. While organic arsenic compounds are less harmful to health (Lee et al. 2023 ). Immediate symptoms of acute arsenic poisoning include vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. This is followed by numbness and tingling of the limbs, muscle cramps and death in severe cases (Parker et al. 2022 ). Lead is a toxic metal found in the Earth's crust, and its widespread use has led to environmental pollution, human exposure, and significant public health problems in many parts of the world (Ge et al. 2020 ). The largest consumption of lead is for the manufacture of lead-acid batteries for motor vehicles. However, lead is used in many other products such as pigments, paints, solder, colored glass, crystal glassware, ammunition, ceramic glazes, jewelry, toys, and some cosmetics (Adimalla et al. 2020 ; Chen et al. 2023 ). At high levels of lead exposure, the brain and central nervous system can be severely damaged, causing coma, seizures, and even death (Ge et al. 2020 ). Lead also causes anemia, high blood pressure, kidney failure, impaired immune system and reproductive organs (Chen et al. 2023 ). Chromium is a natural element, some forms of which are essential for the functioning of the human body, while other forms are toxic to humans (Lee et al. 2023 ). Exposure to toxic forms of chromium can occur in some work environments and sometimes due to environmental pollution (Wang et al. 2024 ). Due to its high toxicity, chromium metal is classified as a carcinogenic pollutant, and long-term human exposure to this element can cause digestive discomfort, respiratory problems, kidney and liver damage, and genetic disorders (Adimalla et al. 2020 ; Bhat et al. 2023 ). Corn ( Zea mays ) belongs to the Poaceae family native to America and is one of the most important agricultural products in America, which is cultivated all over the world. The major corn producing countries are Romania, Russia, Italy, China, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa and Iran (Broglie et al. 1984 ; Liu et al. 2020 ). Corn is one of the most important grain products in the world. In developing countries, corn is the main source of income for farmers, and the high production potential of corn and its importance in feeding livestock and poultry, as well as the variety of products made from corn, have attracted the attention of many countries around the world (Sun et al. 1999 ; Khanna et al. 2016 ). Corn plays an important role in human nutrition, and several researchers in Nigeria, Mexico, Pakistan, Italy, and Kenya investigated heavy metal contamination in corn (Ghani, 2010 ; Akenga et al. 2019 ; Sagbara et al. 2020 ; Romdhane et al. 2021 ; Ruiz-Huerta et al. 2022 ). Khuzestan province has the largest production of grain and fodder corn in the country and it is important from this point of view. Therefore, estimating the health of the product and investigating the presence of heavy metals in it becomes important, and due to the increasing role of corn in human nutrition, a comprehensive research is needed in this regard. In the research done in the past, this product was investigated separately and along with other products, and in the current research, the corn fields of Dezful and Behbahan cities have been investigated. Material and Method Study areas In this research, the corn farms of Dezful and Behbahan cities were studied. Dezful and Behbahan are both cities of Khuzestan province located in the southwest of Iran. The city of Dezful is located by the river Dez, in the plains of Khuzestan province, at an altitude of 140 meters above sea level, and has a hot and dry climate. Due to the existence of important rivers such as Dez and Karkheh and the fertile plain, Dezful has an agricultural pole in Iran, including vegetables and summer crops. Behbahan city is bordered by Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad provinces from the north and northeast and Bushehr province from the south. This city has provided favorable facilities for the expansion of the agricultural sector due to the special and suitable weather conditions and the presence of the Maroon and Khairabad rivers, as well as having arable and fertile soil. All kinds of agricultural, food, and industrial agricultural products are grown in this region, and this city has provided the conditions for the growth of all the mentioned products in terms of favorable climate. Sampling In this research, 5 farms were randomly selected in each city (total farms in Dezful and Behbahan cities were 10 farms). 5 soil samples and 5 corn samples were prepared from each field in the summer season. For the autumn season, the same sampling was done as in the summer season. Therefore, a total of 50 soil samples and 50 corn samples were collected from the two study areas of Dezful and Behbahan cities in 1401. In order to collect the corn samples, first the field was divided into two equal parts, then corn and soil samples were taken from the four corners and the middle of each part, and then the first sample was obtained by mixing the collected samples. And in this way, the next samples were collected. Corn samples were collected in polyethylene bags. Soil samples were taken from a depth of 0-30 cm using a stainless steel shovel to prevent contamination and collected in polyethylene bags. After sampling from each field, corn and soil samples were taken to the laboratory. Laboratory methods To prepare, the corn samples were first placed in a paper envelope and placed in an oven at a temperature of 70 degrees Celsius for 48 hours. Then, to grind the samples and create a uniform powder, they were pounded with a Chinese mortar and the samples were sieved with a 63 micron spring sieve, then one gram of the powdered sample was weighed for digestion. To dry the soil samples, the samples were placed in a petri dish in an oven with a temperature of 60 degrees Celsius for 48 hours. Soils were dried, particles smaller than 63 microns were separated by a sieve and powdered using a porcelain mortar. Then one gram of powdered sample was weighed for digestion (Bahemuka and Mubofu 1999). To digest the corn samples, 0.5 grams of the powdered sample of the plant was transferred to a 100 cc Erlenmeyer flask, and then 10 cc of Soltani acid was added to each of the samples and by placing a watch glass on the Erlenmeyer flasks. It was placed under the hood for 24 hours, then the Erlenmeyer flasks were placed on a heater with a temperature of 70 to 80 and the heating process started gently until a brown colored vapor was emitted from all the samples. Then 3 cc of Soltani acid was added to each of the jars and the heating process became more intense until the oxidation of the plant material was completed. This process continued until the volume of the sample was reduced to 2-3 cc and the sample became completely colorless. After the sample became completely colorless and its volume decreased after cooling the container, some distilled water was added to it and the dissolved samples were filtered by passing through filter paper No. 45 and poured into a 50 cc volumetric flask. It was made up to 50 cc with 1% nitric acid. Then it was placed in a plastic container so that the amount of metals in the samples was read by an inductively coupled plasma spectrometer (Johnson and Ulrich 1959). EPA 3050 method was used to digest soil samples. In this method, 0.5 grams of the powdered soil sample was transferred to a 100 cc beaker and 5 drops of 1 normal hydrochloric acid were added to each of the samples and the beaker was shaken in a circular manner until the soil and acid Mix thoroughly. After that, 5 cc of sultanic acid was added to each of the flasks and shaken again and placed under the hood for 24 hours by placing a watch glass on the flasks. Then put the erlens on an electric heater with a temperature of 80-90 degrees Celsius until the color of the samples darkens, then add 3 cc of perchloric acid to each of the samples and again put the erlens on The heater is placed until the volume of the samples is reduced to 2-3 cc and after the container cools down, some distilled water is added to it and the dissolved samples are filtered through filter paper No. 45 and placed in a 50 gauge balloon. cc was poured and made up to 50 cc with 1% nitric acid. The amount of HMs in the samples was read by inductively coupled plasma spectrometer model Ultima 2c (Kimbrough and Wakakuwa 1989). Health risk index The risk assessment of HMs in corn samples was calculated based on the Estimated Daily Intake of HMs, Target Hazard Quotient and Carcinogenic risk index (USEPA, 1989). Estimated Daily Intake for HMs was calculated based on eq. 1 (Ullah et al., 2017), in which DFC (daily food consumption) is the daily consumption of corn (2.19 and 0.63, respectively) grams per day for adults and children) (Kheirabadi et al., 2016) and MC (mean HMs concentration) is the concentration of the studied HMs in mg/kg. Eq. 1 EDI (mg/Kg/day) = DFC × MC The non-carcinogenic risk index (Target Hazard Quotient) was performed through calculations using the standard assumption for USEPA integrated risk analysis based on eq. 2 (USEPA, 1989), where in eq. 1, the EFr of human exposure was considered 365 days per year. ED, the duration of exposure is 70 years equivalent to the average human life time (Ullah et al., 2017). FIR is the absorbed metal fraction rate due to corn consumption, which is considered 0.4 (Kheirabadi et al., 2016). C is the concentration of the studied HMs in mg/kg. Oral reference dose or RfD for As, Pb and Cr 0.003, 0.004 and 1.5 mg/kg body weight per day (UEPA, 2000). BW is the average human body weight, which is considered 70 and 15 kg for Iranian adults and children, respectively (Doabi et al., 2018). The average time TA for non-carcinogenic agents is 365 days per year in the number of years of exposure assuming 70 years (Ullah et al., 2017). If the THQ value of the target metal is less than 1, the exposed population is unlikely to experience any adverse health risk, but if the THQ is equal to or greater than 1, there is a potential health risk (USEPA, 1989). Carcinogenic risk index was calculated based on the Estimated Daily Intake of HMs and the Cancer Slope Factor (Eq. 3) (USEPA, 2000), where the carcinogenic slope factor for HMs of AS, Pb and Cr were reported as 1.5, 0.0085 and 0.5 mg/kg per day (Wang et al., 2005). EDI is the estimated daily intake of heavy metals. Eq 3. CR = CSF × EDI Carcinogenicity risk index based on acceptable risk levels for carcinogens from 10 -4 (lifetime risk of developing cancer is 1 in 10,000) to 10 -6 (lifetime risk of developing cancer is 1 in 1,000,000) determined (UEPA, 2000). Metal Transfer Factor The transfer factor of metals in corn samples was calculated based on Eq. 4, where C Plant is the concentration of the desired metal in corn and C Soil is the concentration of the desired metal in the soil (Kharazi et al . 2021): Eq. 4. TF = C Plant ÷ C Soil Statistical method In this research, SPSS version 19 software was used for data analysis. Tukey's test and t-test were used for statistical analysis of metals. Statistical calculations of the studied indicators were done using Excel 2007 software. Results In addition to measuring the concentration of heavy metals in soil samples and corn species, the parameters of pH, EC, COD, BOD in water samples and pH, EC and soil texture in soil samples were measured, and the results were separated by regions and the sampling season is presented in Table 1. Table 1. Physical and chemical parameters of water and soil of corn agricultural fields in Behbahan and Dezful cities of Khuzestan province Season Source Parameters Behbahan Dezfoul Summer Water pH 7.86 7.54 Ec (µs/cm) 911 1045 COD (mg/lit) 15.15 12.25 BOD (mg/lit) 8.68 6.93 Soil pH 7.21 7.63 Ec (µs/cm) 2.66 4.11 Texture Sand % 32 40 Silt % 44.6 39 Clay % 23.4 21 Autumn Water pH 7.79 7.52 Ec (µs/cm) 777 918 COD (mg/lit) 7.44 5.55 BOD (mg/lit) 13.91 10.13 Soil pH 7.33 7.51 Ec (µs/cm) 2.66 4.11 Texture Sand % 33 38 Silt % 44.2 40.5 Clay % 22.8 21.5 The amounts of heavy metals in corn and soil samples of corn farms in Dezful and Behbahan are presented in Table 2. The concentration of arsenic and chromium in the soil of the agricultural fields of Dezful was observed to be higher in the autumn season. The amount of lead metal in the soil samples of fields in Behbahan in summer and autumn was higher than in Dezful. The amount of lead in the corn samples of Behbahan farms was higher than in other regions in the fall season. The amount of arsenic and chromium in the corn samples of Dezful agricultural fields was higher in the summer season. Table 2. Concentration of metals (mg kg -1 ) in the soil and corn from Behbahan and Dezful of Khuzestan province Season City Soil Corn Pb As Cr Pb As Cr Summer Behbahan 12.3 4.24 75.2 2.24 0.80 1.32 Dezfoul 11.1 3.5 65.1 1.26 2.44 8.5 Autumn Behbahan 12.5 3.5 79 3.26 0.64 1.42 Dezfoul 11.5 5 88.1 0.62 2.24 8.39 Descriptive parameters of lead, arsenic and chromium metals in soil and corn samples of agricultural fields in Dezful and Behbahan cities in summer and autumn are presented in Table 3. The average concentration of lead (13.48±2.66 mg kg -1 ) and chromium (76.96±8.84 mg kg -1 ) in autumn season was higher than summer season (P<0.05). In the corn product, the amount of chromium (6.53±3.19 mg/kg) was higher in the fall season than in the summer season. The average concentration of lead (1.50±0.87 mg kg -1 ) and arsenic (1.56±0.64 mg kg -1 ) in corn samples was higher in summer season than in autumn season (P<0.05). Also, the average amount of arsenic (4.43±0.86 mg kg -1 ) in soil samples was higher in summer season than in autumn season (P<0.05) (Table 3). Table 3. Descriptive statistics of heavy metals in Soil and corn of Behbahan and Dezful Sample Season Metals Mean SD Variance Skewness Kurtosis Soil Summer Pb 11.3500 2.01712 4.069 -0.453 -1.251 As 4.4367 0.86403 0.747 0.097 -1.451 Cr 73.4067 10.22465 104.543 -0.848 -0.839 Autumn Pb 13.4800 2.66425 7.098 1.035 -0.485 As 4.3200 0.61834 0.382 -0.480 -1.523 Cr 76.9670 8.84321 78.202 0.157 -1.654 Corn Summer Pb 1.5040 0.87358 0.763 -0.393 -1.340 As 1.5620 0.64971 0.422 0.246 -0.628 Cr 5.5897 3.37564 11.395 0.355 -1.122 Autumn Pb 1.3330 1.10236 1.215 0.757 -0.517 As 1.3090 0.58104 0.338 0.704 -0.014 Cr 6.5387 3.19943 10.236 -0.033 -0.556 The average amount of lead in the soil samples of corn farms in Behbahan city in two seasons: summer (12.30±1.23 mg kg -1 ) and autumn (12.50±1.25 mg kg -1 ) compared to the amount of lead in Dezful region. It was higher in summer (11.30±0.30 mg kg -1 ) and autumn (11.50±1.20 mg kg -1 ) (Figure 1). The average amount of arsenic (4.24±0.42 mg kg -1 ) and chromium (75.20±1 mg kg -1 ) in the soil samples of corn fields in Behbahan city in the summer season is higher than the amount of arsenic (3.36±0.33 mg kg -1 ) and chromium (65.20±6.52 mg kg -1 ) in Dezful region in this season. In the autumn season, the average concentration of arsenic (5±0.5 mg kg -1 ) and chromium (88.10±3 mg kg -1 ) in the soil samples of the corn fields in Dezful city is higher than the arsenic values (3.50±0.35 mg/kg) and chromium (79±3 mg kg -1 ) were obtained from corn farms in Behbahan city (Figures 2 and 3). According to the average concentration of Pb (1.39 mg kg -1 ) in corn samples from agricultural fields, the non-carcinogenic risk index (THQ) for adults and children was 1.98 and 9.26, respectively. Also, the carcinogenic risk index (CR) of lead was obtained for adults and children, respectively, 0.02584 and 0.007395. Comparison of the results in the studied areas shows that the non-carcinogenic risk index (THQ) of Pb in corn samples from Behbahan farms for adults and children (3.93 and 18.33) was higher than Dezful areas. Carcinogenic risk index (CR) of Pb was also higher in corn samples of Behbahan farms for adults and children (0.05117 and 0.014705) than Dezful regions. The non-carcinogenic risk index (THQ) of corn As in agricultural fields of Khuzestan province for adults and children was 2.62 and 12.26, respectively, based on the average concentration of 1.38 mg kg -1 . The carcinogenic risk index (CR) of As for adults and children was 4.53 and 1.30, respectively. Comparison of the results in the studied areas shows that the non-carcinogenic risk index (THQ) of As in the corn samples of Dezful farms for adults and children (4.87 and 22.75) was higher than Behbahan areas. Carcinogenic risk index (CR) of As was also higher in corn samples from Dezful for adults and children (8.40 and 2.41) than Behbahan regions. The average concentration of Cr in the corn crop was 6.06 mg kg -1 , and the non-carcinogenic risk index (THQ) and carcinogenic risk index (CR) were 0.02 and 6.635 for adults, and 0.10 and 0.10 for children 1.905 was obtained (Table 4). Table 4. Estimation of Risk Assessment of metals in corn in Behbahan and Dezful cities HM s Location Mean (mg Kg -1 ) EDI THQ CR Adult Child Adult Child Adult Child AS Behbahan 0.73 1.59 0.45 1.39 6.48 2.38 0.68 Dezful 2.56 5.60 1.61 4.87 22.75 8.40 2.41 Pb Behbahan 2.75 6.02 1.73 3.92 18.33 0.05 0.01 Dezful 0.03 2.03 0.27 1.32 6.20 0.01 0.002 Cr Behbahan 1.38 3.02 0.86 0.005 0.02 1.51 0.43 Dezful 8.47 18.54 5.33 0.03 0.15 9.27 2.66 The average transfer factor of metals in the corn of Dezful agricultural fields for arsenic (0.762) had the highest value in the summer season compared to lead and chromium. Also, the highest average transfer factor of chromium metal was 0.128, which was obtained in the samples of Dezful agricultural fields in the summer season, but the highest average transfer factor of lead metal was observed in the corn samples of Behbahan farms in the autumn season (0.256) (Table 5). Table 5. The amount of the metal Transfer Factor (TF) of corn agricultural fields in Behbahan and Dezful cities Season City Station Pb As Cr Summer Behbahan 1 0.17 0.13 0.01 2 0.17 0.16 0.02 3 0.18 0.28 0.02 4 0.19 0.24 0.02 5 0.19 0.12 0.01 mean 0.180 0.186 0.016 Dezfoul 1 0.13 0.80 0.12 2 0.11 0.69 0.13 3 0.10 0.88 0.13 4 0.09 0.72 0.13 5 0.10 0.72 0.13 mean 0.106 0.762 0.128 Autumn Behbahan 1 0.24 0.18 0.02 2 0.25 0.18 0.01 3 0.25 0.19 0.01 4 0.30 0.18 0.01 5 0.24 0.18 0.01 mean 0.256 0.182 0.012 Dezfoul 1 0.07 0.54 0.09 2 0.05 0.49 0.09 3 0.03 0.31 0.08 4 0.06 0.43 0.09 5 0.03 0.46 0.09 mean 0.048 0.446 0.088 Discussion In this research, the average of Pb (11.35 and 13.48 mg kg − 1 ), As (4.32 and 4.43 mg kg − 1 ) and Cr (73.40 and 76.96 mg kg − 1 ) in the soil of the corn fields of Dezful and Behbahan cities were lower compared to the national environmental standard of Iran (lead, arsenic and chromium limits in the soil are 75, 40 and 110 mg kg − 1 respectively) (Rezaei et al. 2022 ). It has been reported in various studies that the average concentration of heavy metals in agricultural lands has gradually increased and can reach a level that threatens human food security (Wang et al. 2020 ; Romdhane et al. 2021 ; Chen et al. 2023 ; Wang et al . 2023). In a research, the average metal content of lead, arsenic and chromium in the soil of agricultural fields in China was reported to be 24.74 mg kg − 1 (Chen et al. 2023 ). Although the geological structure with high concentrations of polluting elements, especially heavy metals, can cause pollution of soil resources, human activities such as the activities of polluting industries, improper use of agricultural inputs such as pesticides, chemical and organic fertilizers (especially phosphate fertilizers), fertilizers of low consumption elements, non-standard sewage sludge), sewage with inappropriate quality, atmospheric subsidence, especially in urban areas and the outskirts of cities, are among the things that affect the soil by pollutants (Rezaei et al. 2022 ). Other studies reported that heavy metals in the environment can have many negative effects on the health of ecosystems. For this reason, heavy metal pollution has always been a serious problem all over the world. Contaminated soil can cause irreparable damage to the environment through the effect on plants and microorganisms inside the soil (Tavakoli et al. 2019 ; Adimalla et al. 2020 ; Lee et al. 2023 ). The amount of lead in the corn samples of Behbahan farms was higher in the autumn season than in other regions (P < 0.05). The concentration of lead in corn samples from agricultural fields in Dezful and Behbahan cities was 1.33–1.50 mg kg − 1 . Lead is a highly toxic and non-biodegradable element that has no metabolic function in living organisms. It can be quickly absorbed and transported in plant tissues and then enter the food chain and cause plant toxicity. Through various biochemical and enzymatic reactions, lead can severely damage public health. After entering the soil and sediments, lead may be mixed with soil components and communicate with them through different geochemical parts and determine the final fate of lead in terms of bioavailability and absorption by plants (Mousavi et al. 2022 ). The corn plant produces high biomass and can absorb and accumulate large amounts of heavy metals in its biomass (Karam et al. 2006 ). Studies have shown that cereal crops can absorb heavy metals from contaminated soils through their root systems. The amount of metal absorption varies among different types of cereals, so that some products show higher metal accumulation than others (Shahid et al. 2017 ; Awino et al. 2022 ). The average concentration of lead in soil samples was higher in autumn season than in summer season (P < 0.05), but it was higher in corn samples from agricultural fields in summer season than in autumn season (P < 0.05). Also, the amount of lead metal in the soil samples of fields in Behbahan city in summer and autumn was higher than in Dezful (P < 0.05). Also, there was a significant difference between the lead values in the two sampling periods (P < 0.05), but no significant difference was observed between the lead concentrations in different farms. Therefore, it can be concluded that the time variable had an effect on lead concentration. Considering that the main source of lead is the traffic of vehicles and cars, it can be concluded that its changes in surface soils were probably affected by the traffic rate of vehicles (Gazwi et al. 2020 ). Amounts of heavy metals have been reported in surface soils around Behbahan city and urban, industrial and agricultural areas of Dezful. Research and studies showed that the soils of Behbahan, Dezful and some native plants such as cheese and wheat are contaminated with lead, chromium and arsenic metals (Pourkhabbaz et al. 2016 ; Tavakoli et al. 2019 ; Payandeh et al. 2021 ), which is consistent with the results of this research. The average lead level of surface soils of agricultural fields in Dezful city is reported to be 32.90 mg kg − 1 (Payandeh 2023 ). Also, the concentration of lead and chromium metals in agricultural products such as tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, and onions in the agricultural fields of Dezful city has been reported, and the average values of lead and chromium were determined as 0.81 and 0.76 mg kg − 1 , respectively (Payandeh et al. 2021 ) which confirms the results of this research. The average concentration of chromium in soil and corn samples of agricultural fields was higher in autumn season than in summer season (P < 0.05). The concentration of chromium in the soil of agricultural fields in Dezful city was higher in the fall season, and the amount of chromium in the corn samples of the agricultural fields in Dezful city was higher in the summer season than in the agricultural fields in Behbahan city.. The amount of chromium in soil samples was between 73.40 and 76.96 mg kg − 1 and in corn samples it was between 5.58–6.53 mg kg − 1 . From these results, it can be concluded that due to the relatively low level of soil contamination of agricultural lands in the province, the origin of this contamination was probably natural. Several factors affect the metal uptake process, including soil pH, metal concentration, soil organic matter content, and the presence of other elements that can compete for uptake sites on the root surface. For example, some cereal crops such as rice and barley have a higher affinity to absorb heavy metals such as cadmium and arsenic, while other cereals such as wheat and corn accumulate lower levels of these metals in similar soil conditions (Thomas 2021 ; Khan et al. 2023 ). The average amount of arsenic in soil and corn samples of agricultural fields was higher in summer than in autumn (P < 0.05). Also, the amount of arsenic in the corn samples of agricultural fields in Dezful city was higher in the summer season, but the concentration of arsenic in the soil of the agricultural fields in Dezful city was higher in the autumn season. In this research, the concentration of arsenic in the soil of Behbahan and Dezful cities was 4.32–43.4 mg kg − 1 and in cultivated corn samples 1.30–1.56 mg kg − 1 . According to Iran's National Standard No. 1053, the maximum allowed amount of arsenic in agricultural soils for growing and harvesting food products is 15 mg kg − 1 . The World Health Organization has stated its maximum permissible amount to be 10 mg kg − 1 (Rezaei et al. 2022 ). Of course, this does not mean that lower amounts of this heavy metal in lower concentrations are safe. The amount of metals transferred from the soil to the plant can be measured by the "transfer factor", which is defined as the ratio between the concentration of lead in the plant and the concentration of lead in the soil (Liu et al. 2017 ). In this research, the transfer factor of lead, arsenic and chromium metals in corn samples from Behbahan and Dezful cities was lower than 1. Plants whose transfer factors are greater than 1 are classified as over-accumulators, while plants less than 1 are classified as non-accumulators of metals (Kharazi et al. 2021 ). This transfer factor is different for different plant species and changes with changes in the physical and chemical properties of the soil (Liu et al. 2017 ). Once absorbed by the roots, heavy metals can be transported into the cereal plant through translocation processes. This movement of metals from roots to other plant organs is an important aspect of metal behavior within the plant. In some cases, heavy metals may be transported to the above-ground parts of the plant, such as leaves, stems, and seeds (Khan et al. 2023 ). The transfer process is not the same in all heavy metals and grain products. Some metals, such as lead, tend to remain concentrated in the roots and are less efficiently transported to the aboveground parts of the plant. However, lead contamination in soil can still affect the quality of agricultural products and pose health risks to the ecosystem. Therefore, the absorption and transfer of heavy metals in cereal products are complex processes that are influenced by various environmental and plant factors. Elucidating the mechanisms of metal uptake and transport in cereals is critical for developing strategies to minimize the accumulation of heavy metals in the edible parts of crops and to reduce the health risks associated with food consumption (Thomas 2021 ). This issue is much more complicated, because certain types of cereals show a greater tendency to accumulate heavy metals, while understanding these mechanisms and their diversity is necessary to maintain crop productivity and human health. The implementation of responsible soil management practices and the investigation of innovative approaches to reduce the absorption of heavy metals in grains are essential steps to ensure food safety and promote sustainable agriculture in a metal-contaminated world (Zulkafflee et al. 2022 ). Based on the average concentration of Pb and As in corn samples from agricultural fields in Khuzestan province in summer and autumn, the non-carcinogenic hazard index (THQ) for adults and children was higher than 1, but the non-carcinogenic hazard index (THQ) of Cr in The corn yield was lower than 1. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, if the THQ value of the target metal is less than 1, the population at risk is unlikely to experience any adverse health risks, but if the THQ is equal to or greater than 1, there is a potential health risk. (USEPA, 1989). The Carcinogenic Risk Index (CR) of Pb, As and Cr in the corn crop of Dezful and Behbahan farms in Khuzestan province for adults and children was found to be higher than 10 − 4 . The Carcinogenic Risk Index (CR) is based on acceptable risk levels for Carcinogenicity is determined from 10 − 4 (human lifetime cancer risk is 1 in 10,000) to 10 − 6 (human lifetime cancer risk is 1 in 1,000,000) (USEPA, 2000). The results showed that children are exposed to a higher level of health risk due to the contamination of corn fields with heavy metals. Due to their lower weight and smaller body surface area, children absorb more heavy metals compared to adults. Also, due to rapid growth and more physical activity, children consume more food than adults, which causes children to be more exposed to heavy metals in food (WHO 2010). It has been reported in a research that the risk index of seven metals and the carcinogenic risks of lead and arsenic showed that there is no health risk with the consumption of fruit in the population of Korea. However, the risk index and carcinogenic risk of Pb in apples were the highest for 1–2 year old children, which indicates that continuous risk monitoring is needed in this age group (Lee et al. 2023 ) and in another study, the risk index of As, Pb and Cr metals It has been reported lower than 1 in Chinese wheat samples (Wang et al. 2024 ), which is consistent with the results of this research. Conclusion In this research, the average of lead, arsenic and chromium in the soil of corn fields in Dezful and Behbahan cities were lower compared to the national environmental standard of Iran. The average amount of lead in the soil samples of corn farms in Behbahan city was higher than the amount of lead in Dezful region. The average amount of arsenic and chromium in the soil samples of corn farms in Behbahan city in the summer season was higher than the amount of arsenic and chromium in Dezful region in this season. In the autumn season, the average concentration of arsenic and chromium in the soil samples of corn farms in Dezful city was higher than the values of arsenic and chromium in corn farms in Behbahan city. According to the results of metal transfer factor in corn plant which were less than 1, corn is considered as a non-accumulating plant. Therefore, according to the data analysis for non-carcinogenic risk index (THQ) and carcinogenic risk index (CR), the studied metals can be dangerous for human health, but the non-carcinogenic hazard index (THQ) for chromium metal does not cause problems for adults and children. Declarations Author Contribution Authors’ ContributionConceptualization: Zeinab Gholami, Maryam Mohammadi Rouzbahani, Khoshnaz Payandeh, Sima Sabzalipour.Data curtain: Zeinab Gholami, Maryam Mohammadi Rouzbahani, Khoshnaz Payandeh, Sima Sabzalipour. Formal analysis: Zeinab Gholami, Maryam Mohammadi Rouzbahani, Khoshnaz Payandeh, Sima Sabzalipour. Investigation: Zeinab Gholami, Maryam Mohammadi Rouzbahani, Khoshnaz Payandeh, Sima Sabzalipour.Methodology: Zeinab Gholami, Maryam Mohammadi Rouzbahani, Khoshnaz Payandeh, Sima Sabzalipour. Project administration: Zeinab Gholami, Maryam Mohammadi Rouzbahani, Khoshnaz Payandeh, Sima Sabzalipour. Resources: Zeinab Gholami, Maryam Mohammadi Rouzbahani, Khoshnaz Payandeh, Sima Sabzalipour. Software: Zeinab Gholami, Maryam Mohammadi Rouzbahani, Khoshnaz Payandeh, Sima Sabzalipour. Validation: Zeinab Gholami, Maryam Mohammadi Rouzbahani, Khoshnaz Payandeh, Sima Sabzalipour. Visualization: Zeinab Gholami, Maryam Mohammadi Rouzbahani, Khoshnaz Payandeh, Sima Sabzalipour. Writing–original draft: Zeinab Gholami, Maryam Mohammadi Rouzbahani, Khoshnaz Payandeh, Sima Sabzalipour. Writing–review & editing: Zeinab Gholami, Maryam Mohammadi Rouzbahani, Khoshnaz Payandeh, Sima Sabzalipour. Data Availability The raw data is provided within the supplementary information file. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5206141","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":372155868,"identity":"10b0d8d9-917e-4c17-a92a-37fff63cc6e6","order_by":0,"name":"Zeinab Gholami","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Islamic Azad University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Zeinab","middleName":"","lastName":"Gholami","suffix":""},{"id":372155872,"identity":"de9e1c3b-3957-4b0b-a82d-acb2c4625563","order_by":1,"name":"Maryam Mohammadi Ruzbahani","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Islamic Azad 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Behbahan\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Figure1.ComparisonofPbmgkginthesoilofagriculturalfieldsinDezfulandBehbahan.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5206141/v1/8fc7e44d6498a4aefa210ade.png"},{"id":69428075,"identity":"e82948f9-62f2-45c6-8f6a-84943c3e19d8","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-11-20 09:04:57","extension":"png","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":547698,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eComparison of As (mg/kg) in the soil of agricultural fields in Dezful and Behbahan\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Figure2.ComparisonofAsmgkginthesoilofagriculturalfieldsinDezfulandBehbahan.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5206141/v1/462ad78115e555750dda6813.png"},{"id":69428076,"identity":"b8c260ef-0733-45e1-8837-64335b108c1d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-11-20 09:04:57","extension":"png","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":622860,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eComparison of Cr (mg/kg) in the soil of agricultural fields in Dezful and Behbahan\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Figure3.ComparisonofCrmgkginthesoilofagriculturalfieldsinDezfulandBehbahan.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5206141/v1/d7d35351dbc4b6d17b5159bf.png"},{"id":81987386,"identity":"80cb3706-c3e8-4a3f-84e8-c3c535f72db3","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-05 15:59:34","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":3001298,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5206141/v1/0a6c2fbf-8857-474a-b4c3-949d5e6cb97b.pdf"},{"id":69427324,"identity":"7a8e44bc-2982-4e2b-a091-06c89fc137b0","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-11-20 08:56:57","extension":"docx","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":13924,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Tableofrawdata.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5206141/v1/2fc7880e6fdb07d10a19236c.docx"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Comparison of heavy metals concentration and health risk assessment in corn (Zea mays) agricultural field in the southwest of Iran","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eHeavy metals have harmful effects on human health, and in recent years exposure to these pollutants has increased due to human industrial activities (Wang et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e). The contamination of various sources of water, air and soil by heavy metals has affected a health and environmental concern in the world (Gazwi et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). The entry of heavy metals into food is another important issue that can cause human illness and poisoning (Lee et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). Heavy metals compared to other environmental pollutants may also exist naturally and remain in the environment (Parker et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). Increase of heavy metals has caused toxicity and stability in agricultural soils. Cultivation of agricultural products in soils contaminated with heavy metals causes the transfer of toxic metals to plants (Adimalla et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Bi et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). Heavy metals in plants can enter the human food chain and cause health problems (Latif et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). Heavy metals in surface soils increase due to two reasons; parent materials and human activities. The use of agricultural chemicals for growing crops, industrial and urban wastewaters used for irrigation causes an increase in heavy metals in soil and water (Chen et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e; Bhat et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). Heavy metals several acute and chronic toxic effects of heavy metals affect different organs of the body (Luo et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). Digestive system and kidney dysfunction, nervous system disorders, skin lesions, vascular damage, immune system dysfunction, congenital defects and cancer are examples of complications caused by the toxic effects of heavy metals. Simultaneous exposure to two or more metals may have cumulative effects (Ge et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Kharazi et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eArsenic is used in industry as an alloying agent, as well as in the production of glass, pigments, textiles, paper, metal adhesives, wood preservatives, and ammunition. Arsenic is also used in the leather tanning process and to a limited extent in pesticides and pharmaceuticals. Inorganic compounds of arsenic are very toxic and carcinogenic, and arsenic can also exist in organic form. While organic arsenic compounds are less harmful to health (Lee et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). Immediate symptoms of acute arsenic poisoning include vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. This is followed by numbness and tingling of the limbs, muscle cramps and death in severe cases (Parker et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). Lead is a toxic metal found in the Earth's crust, and its widespread use has led to environmental pollution, human exposure, and significant public health problems in many parts of the world (Ge et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). The largest consumption of lead is for the manufacture of lead-acid batteries for motor vehicles. However, lead is used in many other products such as pigments, paints, solder, colored glass, crystal glassware, ammunition, ceramic glazes, jewelry, toys, and some cosmetics (Adimalla et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Chen et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). At high levels of lead exposure, the brain and central nervous system can be severely damaged, causing coma, seizures, and even death (Ge et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). Lead also causes anemia, high blood pressure, kidney failure, impaired immune system and reproductive organs (Chen et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). Chromium is a natural element, some forms of which are essential for the functioning of the human body, while other forms are toxic to humans (Lee et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). Exposure to toxic forms of chromium can occur in some work environments and sometimes due to environmental pollution (Wang et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e). Due to its high toxicity, chromium metal is classified as a carcinogenic pollutant, and long-term human exposure to this element can cause digestive discomfort, respiratory problems, kidney and liver damage, and genetic disorders (Adimalla et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Bhat et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCorn (\u003cem\u003eZea mays\u003c/em\u003e) belongs to the Poaceae family native to America and is one of the most important agricultural products in America, which is cultivated all over the world. The major corn producing countries are Romania, Russia, Italy, China, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa and Iran (Broglie et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1984\u003c/span\u003e; Liu et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). Corn is one of the most important grain products in the world. In developing countries, corn is the main source of income for farmers, and the high production potential of corn and its importance in feeding livestock and poultry, as well as the variety of products made from corn, have attracted the attention of many countries around the world (Sun et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1999\u003c/span\u003e; Khanna et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e). Corn plays an important role in human nutrition, and several researchers in Nigeria, Mexico, Pakistan, Italy, and Kenya investigated heavy metal contamination in corn (Ghani, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e; Akenga et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e; Sagbara et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Romdhane et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e; Ruiz-Huerta et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eKhuzestan province has the largest production of grain and fodder corn in the country and it is important from this point of view. Therefore, estimating the health of the product and investigating the presence of heavy metals in it becomes important, and due to the increasing role of corn in human nutrition, a comprehensive research is needed in this regard. In the research done in the past, this product was investigated separately and along with other products, and in the current research, the corn fields of Dezful and Behbahan cities have been investigated.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Material and Method","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eStudy areas\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this research, the corn farms of Dezful and Behbahan cities were studied. Dezful and Behbahan are both cities of Khuzestan province located in the southwest of Iran. The city of Dezful is located by the river Dez, in the plains of Khuzestan province, at an altitude of 140 meters above sea level, and has a hot and dry climate. Due to the existence of important rivers such as Dez and Karkheh and the fertile plain, Dezful has an agricultural pole in Iran, including vegetables and summer crops. Behbahan city is bordered by Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad provinces from the north and northeast and Bushehr province from the south. This city has provided favorable facilities for the expansion of the agricultural sector due to the special and suitable weather conditions and the presence of the Maroon and Khairabad rivers, as well as having arable and fertile soil. All kinds of agricultural, food, and industrial agricultural products are grown in this region, and this city has provided the conditions for the growth of all the mentioned products in terms of favorable climate.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSampling\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this research, 5 farms were randomly selected in each city (total farms in Dezful and Behbahan cities were 10 farms). 5 soil samples and 5 corn samples were prepared from each field in the summer season. For the autumn season, the same sampling was done as in the summer season. Therefore, a total of 50 soil samples and 50 corn samples were collected from the two study areas of Dezful and Behbahan cities in 1401. In order to collect the corn samples, first the field was divided into two equal parts, then corn and soil samples were taken from the four corners and the middle of each part, and then the first sample was obtained by mixing the collected samples. And in this way, the next samples were collected. Corn samples were collected in polyethylene bags. Soil samples were taken from a depth of 0-30 cm using a stainless steel shovel to prevent contamination and collected in polyethylene bags. After sampling from each field, corn and soil samples were taken to the laboratory.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eLaboratory methods\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo prepare, the corn samples were first placed in a paper envelope and placed in an oven at a temperature of 70 degrees Celsius for 48 hours. Then, to grind the samples and create a uniform powder, they were pounded with a Chinese mortar and the samples were sieved with a 63 micron spring sieve, then one gram of the powdered sample was weighed for digestion. To dry the soil samples, the samples were placed in a petri dish in an oven with a temperature of 60 degrees Celsius for 48 hours. Soils were dried, particles smaller than 63 microns were separated by a sieve and powdered using a porcelain mortar. Then one gram of powdered sample was weighed for digestion (Bahemuka and Mubofu 1999). To digest the corn samples, 0.5 grams of the powdered sample of the plant was transferred to a 100 cc Erlenmeyer flask, and then 10 cc of Soltani acid was added to each of the samples and by placing a watch glass on the Erlenmeyer flasks. It was placed under the hood for 24 hours, then the Erlenmeyer flasks were placed on a heater with a temperature of 70 to 80 and the heating process started gently until a brown colored vapor was emitted from all the samples. Then 3 cc of Soltani acid was added to each of the jars and the heating process became more intense until the oxidation of the plant material was completed. This process continued until the volume of the sample was reduced to 2-3 cc and the sample became completely colorless. After the sample became completely colorless and its volume decreased after cooling the container, some distilled water was added to it and the dissolved samples were filtered by passing through filter paper No. 45 and poured into a 50 cc volumetric flask. It was made up to 50 cc with 1% nitric acid. Then it was placed in a plastic container so that the amount of metals in the samples was read by an inductively coupled plasma spectrometer (Johnson and Ulrich 1959). EPA 3050 method was used to digest soil samples. In this method, 0.5 grams of the powdered soil sample was transferred to a 100 cc beaker and 5 drops of 1 normal hydrochloric acid were added to each of the samples and the beaker was shaken in a circular manner until the soil and acid Mix thoroughly. After that, 5 cc of sultanic acid was added to each of the flasks and shaken again and placed under the hood for 24 hours by placing a watch glass on the flasks. Then put the erlens on an electric heater with a temperature of 80-90 degrees Celsius until the color of the samples darkens, then add 3 cc of perchloric acid to each of the samples and again put the erlens on The heater is placed until the volume of the samples is reduced to 2-3 cc and after the container cools down, some distilled water is added to it and the dissolved samples are filtered through filter paper No. 45 and placed in a 50 gauge balloon. cc was poured and made up to 50 cc with 1% nitric acid. The amount of HMs in the samples was read by inductively coupled plasma spectrometer model Ultima 2c (Kimbrough and Wakakuwa 1989).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHealth risk index\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe risk assessment of HMs in corn samples was calculated based on the Estimated Daily Intake of HMs, Target Hazard Quotient and Carcinogenic risk index (USEPA, 1989). Estimated Daily Intake for HMs was calculated based on eq. 1 (Ullah et al., 2017), in which DFC (daily food consumption) is the daily consumption of corn (2.19 and 0.63, respectively) grams per day for adults and children) (Kheirabadi et al., 2016) and MC (mean HMs concentration) is the concentration of the studied HMs in mg/kg.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEq. 1\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;EDI (mg/Kg/day) = DFC \u0026times; MC\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe non-carcinogenic risk index (Target Hazard Quotient) was performed through calculations using the standard assumption for USEPA integrated risk analysis based on eq. 2 (USEPA, 1989), where in eq. 1, the EFr of human exposure was considered 365 days per year. ED, the duration of exposure is 70 years equivalent to the average human life time (Ullah et al., 2017). FIR is the absorbed metal fraction rate due to corn consumption, which is considered 0.4 (Kheirabadi et al., 2016). C is the concentration of the studied HMs in mg/kg. Oral reference dose or RfD for As, Pb and Cr 0.003, 0.004 and 1.5 mg/kg body weight per day (UEPA, 2000). BW is the average human body weight, which is considered 70 and 15 kg for Iranian adults and children, respectively (Doabi et al., 2018). The average time TA for non-carcinogenic agents is 365 days per year in the number of years of exposure assuming 70 years (Ullah et al., 2017).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg 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width=\"567\" height=\"57\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf the THQ value of the target metal is less than 1, the exposed population is unlikely to experience any adverse health risk, but if the THQ is equal to or greater than 1, there is a potential health risk (USEPA, 1989). Carcinogenic risk index was calculated based on the Estimated Daily Intake of HMs and the Cancer Slope Factor (Eq. 3) (USEPA, 2000), where the carcinogenic slope factor for HMs of AS, Pb and Cr were reported as 1.5, 0.0085 and 0.5 mg/kg per day (Wang et al., 2005). EDI is the estimated daily intake of heavy metals.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEq 3. \u0026nbsp; CR = CSF \u0026times; EDI\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCarcinogenicity risk index based on acceptable risk levels for carcinogens from 10\u003csup\u003e-4\u003c/sup\u003e (lifetime risk of developing cancer is 1 in 10,000) to 10\u003csup\u003e-6\u003c/sup\u003e (lifetime risk of developing cancer is 1 in 1,000,000) determined (UEPA, 2000).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMetal Transfer Factor\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe transfer factor of metals in corn samples was calculated based on Eq. 4, where C\u003csub\u003ePlant\u003c/sub\u003e is the concentration of the desired metal in corn and C\u003csub\u003eSoil\u003c/sub\u003e is the concentration of the desired metal in the soil (Kharazi \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e. 2021):\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEq. 4. \u0026nbsp; TF = C\u003csub\u003ePlant\u003c/sub\u003e \u0026divide; C\u003csub\u003eSoil\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eStatistical method\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this research, SPSS version 19 software was used for data analysis. Tukey\u0026apos;s test and t-test were used for statistical analysis of metals. Statistical calculations of the studied indicators were done using Excel 2007 software.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cp\u003eIn addition to measuring the concentration of heavy metals in soil samples and corn species, the parameters of pH, EC, COD, BOD in water samples and pH, EC and soil texture in soil samples were measured, and the results were separated by regions and the sampling season is presented in Table 1.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 1.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003ePhysical and chemical parameters of water and soil of corn agricultural fields in Behbahan and Dezful cities of Khuzestan province\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv align=\"\"\u003e\n \u003ctable border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSeason\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 74px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSource\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 125px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eParameters\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 89px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBehbahan\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 90px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDezfoul\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"9\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSummer\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"4\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 74px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eWater\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 125px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003epH\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 89px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7.86\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 90px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7.54\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 125px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEc (\u0026micro;s/cm)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 89px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e911\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 90px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1045\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 125px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCOD (mg/lit)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 89px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e15.15\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 90px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e12.25\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 125px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eBOD (mg/lit)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 89px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e8.68\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 90px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e6.93\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"5\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 74px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSoil\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 125px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003epH\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 89px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7.21\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 90px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7.63\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 125px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEc (\u0026micro;s/cm)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 89px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.66\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 90px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.11\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTexture\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSand %\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 89px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e32\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 90px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e40\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSilt %\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 89px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e44.6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 90px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e39\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eClay %\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 89px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e23.4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 90px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e21\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"9\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAutumn\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"4\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 74px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eWater\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 125px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003epH\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 89px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7.79\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 90px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7.52\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 125px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEc (\u0026micro;s/cm)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 89px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e777\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 90px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e918\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 125px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCOD (mg/lit)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 89px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7.44\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 90px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5.55\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 125px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eBOD (mg/lit)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 89px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e13.91\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 90px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e10.13\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"5\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 74px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSoil\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 125px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003epH\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 89px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7.33\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 90px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7.51\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 125px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEc (\u0026micro;s/cm)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 89px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.66\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 90px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.11\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTexture\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSand %\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 89px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e33\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 90px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e38\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSilt %\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 89px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e44.2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 90px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e40.5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eClay %\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 89px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e22.8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 90px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e21.5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe amounts of heavy metals in corn and soil samples of corn farms in Dezful and Behbahan are presented in Table 2. The concentration of arsenic and chromium in the soil of the agricultural fields of Dezful was observed to be higher in the autumn season. The amount of lead metal in the soil samples of fields in Behbahan in summer and autumn was higher than in Dezful. The amount of lead in the corn samples of Behbahan farms was higher than in other regions in the fall season. The amount of arsenic and chromium in the corn samples of Dezful agricultural fields was higher in the summer season.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 2.\u003c/strong\u003e Concentration of metals (mg kg\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) in the soil and corn from Behbahan and Dezful of Khuzestan province\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv align=\"\"\u003e\n \u003ctable border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"505\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSeason\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCity\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 183px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSoil\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 184px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCorn\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePb\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAs\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCr\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePb\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAs\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCr\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSummer\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eBehbahan\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e12.3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.24\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e75.2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.24\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.80\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.32\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDezfoul\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e11.1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e65.1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.26\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.44\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e8.5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAutumn\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eBehbahan\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e12.5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e79\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.26\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.64\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.42\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDezfoul\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e11.5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e88.1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.62\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.24\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e8.39\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDescriptive parameters of lead, arsenic and chromium metals in soil and corn samples of agricultural fields in Dezful and Behbahan cities in summer and autumn are presented in Table 3. The average concentration of lead (13.48\u0026plusmn;2.66 mg kg\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) and chromium (76.96\u0026plusmn;8.84 mg kg\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) in autumn season was higher than summer season (P\u0026lt;0.05). In the corn product, the amount of chromium (6.53\u0026plusmn;3.19 mg/kg) was higher in the fall season than in the summer season. The average concentration of lead (1.50\u0026plusmn;0.87 mg kg\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) and arsenic (1.56\u0026plusmn;0.64 mg kg\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) in corn samples was higher in summer season than in autumn season (P\u0026lt;0.05). Also, the average amount of arsenic (4.43\u0026plusmn;0.86 mg kg\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) in soil samples was higher in summer season than in autumn season (P\u0026lt;0.05) (Table 3).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 3.\u003c/strong\u003e Descriptive statistics of heavy metals in Soil and corn of Behbahan and Dezful\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv align=\"\"\u003e\n \u003ctable border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"599\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSample\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSeason\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMetals\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 80px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMean\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSD\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVariance\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSkewness\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 81px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKurtosis\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"6\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSoil\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSummer\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePb\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 80px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e11.3500\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.01712\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.069\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.453\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 81px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-1.251\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAs\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 80px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.4367\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.86403\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.747\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.097\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 81px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-1.451\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCr\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 80px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e73.4067\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e10.22465\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e104.543\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.848\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 81px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.839\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAutumn\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePb\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 80px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e13.4800\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.66425\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7.098\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.035\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 81px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.485\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAs\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 80px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.3200\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.61834\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.382\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.480\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 81px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-1.523\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCr\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 80px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e76.9670\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e8.84321\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e78.202\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.157\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 81px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-1.654\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"6\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCorn\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSummer\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePb\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 80px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.5040\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.87358\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.763\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.393\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 81px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-1.340\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAs\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 80px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.5620\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.64971\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.422\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.246\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 81px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.628\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCr\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 80px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5.5897\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.37564\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e11.395\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.355\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 81px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-1.122\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAutumn\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePb\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 80px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.3330\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.10236\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.215\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.757\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 81px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.517\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAs\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 80px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.3090\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.58104\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.338\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.704\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 81px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.014\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCr\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 80px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e6.5387\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.19943\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e10.236\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.033\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 81px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.556\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe average amount of lead in the soil samples of corn farms in Behbahan city in two seasons: summer (12.30\u0026plusmn;1.23 mg kg\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) and autumn (12.50\u0026plusmn;1.25 mg kg\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) compared to the amount of lead in Dezful region. It was higher in summer (11.30\u0026plusmn;0.30 mg kg\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) and autumn (11.50\u0026plusmn;1.20 mg kg\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) (Figure 1). The average amount of arsenic (4.24\u0026plusmn;0.42 mg kg\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) and chromium (75.20\u0026plusmn;1 mg kg\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) in the soil samples of corn fields in Behbahan city in the summer season is higher than the amount of arsenic (3.36\u0026plusmn;0.33 mg kg\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) and chromium (65.20\u0026plusmn;6.52 mg kg\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) in Dezful region in this season. In the autumn season, the average concentration of arsenic (5\u0026plusmn;0.5 mg kg\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) and chromium (88.10\u0026plusmn;3 mg kg\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) in the soil samples of the corn fields in Dezful city is higher than the arsenic values (3.50\u0026plusmn;0.35 mg/kg) and chromium (79\u0026plusmn;3 mg kg\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) were obtained from corn farms in Behbahan city (Figures 2 and 3).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAccording to the average concentration of Pb (1.39 mg kg\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) in corn samples from agricultural fields, the non-carcinogenic risk index (THQ) for adults and children was 1.98 and 9.26, respectively. Also, the carcinogenic risk index (CR) of lead was obtained for adults and children, respectively, 0.02584 and 0.007395. Comparison of the results in the studied areas shows that the non-carcinogenic risk index (THQ) of Pb in corn samples from Behbahan farms for adults and children (3.93 and 18.33) was higher than Dezful areas. Carcinogenic risk index (CR) of Pb was also higher in corn samples of Behbahan farms for adults and children (0.05117 and 0.014705) than Dezful regions. The non-carcinogenic risk index (THQ) of corn As in agricultural fields of Khuzestan province for adults and children was 2.62 and 12.26, respectively, based on the average concentration of 1.38 mg kg\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e. The carcinogenic risk index (CR) of As for adults and children was 4.53 and 1.30, respectively. Comparison of the results in the studied areas shows that the non-carcinogenic risk index (THQ) of As in the corn samples of Dezful farms for adults and children (4.87 and 22.75) was higher than Behbahan areas. Carcinogenic risk index (CR) of As was also higher in corn samples from Dezful for adults and children (8.40 and 2.41) than Behbahan regions. The average concentration of Cr in the corn crop was 6.06 mg kg\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e, and the non-carcinogenic risk index (THQ) and carcinogenic risk index (CR) were 0.02 and 6.635 for adults, and 0.10 and 0.10 for children 1.905 was obtained (Table 4).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 4.\u003c/strong\u003e Estimation of Risk Assessment of metals in corn in Behbahan and Dezful cities\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv align=\"\"\u003e\n \u003ctable border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"568\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHM\u003csub\u003es\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eLocation\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMean\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e(mg Kg\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 113px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEDI\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 113px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTHQ\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAdult\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eChild\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAdult\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eChild\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 59px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAdult\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eChild\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eBehbahan\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.73\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.59\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.45\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.39\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e6.48\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 59px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.38\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.68\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDezful\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.56\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5.60\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.61\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.87\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e22.75\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 59px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e8.40\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.41\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePb\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eBehbahan\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.75\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e6.02\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.73\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.92\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e18.33\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 59px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.05\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDezful\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.27\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.32\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e6.20\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 59px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.002\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCr\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eBehbahan\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.38\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.02\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.86\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.005\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.02\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 59px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.51\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.43\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDezful\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e8.47\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e18.54\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5.33\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.15\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 59px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e9.27\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.66\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe average transfer factor of metals in the corn of Dezful agricultural fields for arsenic (0.762) had the highest value in the summer season compared to lead and chromium. Also, the highest average transfer factor of chromium metal was 0.128, which was obtained in the samples of Dezful agricultural fields in the summer season, but the highest average transfer factor of lead metal was observed in the corn samples of Behbahan farms in the autumn season (0.256) (Table 5).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 5.\u003c/strong\u003e The amount of the metal Transfer Factor (TF) of corn agricultural fields in Behbahan and Dezful cities\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv align=\"\"\u003e\n \u003ctable border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"460\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 74px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSeason\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCity\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 67px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStation\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePb\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAs\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 77px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCr\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"12\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 74px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSummer\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"6\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eBehbahan\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 67px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.17\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.13\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 77px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 67px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.17\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.16\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 77px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.02\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 67px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.18\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.28\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 77px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.02\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 67px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.19\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.24\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 77px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.02\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 67px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.19\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.12\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 77px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 67px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003emean\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.180\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.186\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 77px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.016\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"6\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDezfoul\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 67px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.13\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.80\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 77px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.12\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 67px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.11\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.69\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 77px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.13\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 67px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.10\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.88\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 77px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.13\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 67px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.09\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.72\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 77px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.13\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 67px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.10\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.72\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 77px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.13\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 67px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003emean\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.106\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.762\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 77px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.128\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"12\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 74px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAutumn\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"6\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eBehbahan\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 67px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.24\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.18\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 77px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.02\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 67px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.25\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.18\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 77px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 67px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.25\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.19\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 77px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 67px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.30\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.18\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 77px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 67px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.24\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.18\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 77px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 67px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003emean\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.256\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.182\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 77px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.012\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"6\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDezfoul\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 67px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.07\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.54\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 77px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.09\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 67px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.05\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.49\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 77px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.09\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 67px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.31\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 77px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.08\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 67px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.06\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.43\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 77px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.09\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 67px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.46\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 77px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.09\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 67px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003emean\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.048\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.446\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 77px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.088\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eIn this research, the average of Pb (11.35 and 13.48 mg kg\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e), As (4.32 and 4.43 mg kg\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) and Cr (73.40 and 76.96 mg kg\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) in the soil of the corn fields of Dezful and Behbahan cities were lower compared to the national environmental standard of Iran (lead, arsenic and chromium limits in the soil are 75, 40 and 110 mg kg\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e respectively) (Rezaei et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). It has been reported in various studies that the average concentration of heavy metals in agricultural lands has gradually increased and can reach a level that threatens human food security (Wang et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR44\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Romdhane et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e; Chen et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e; Wang \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e. 2023). In a research, the average metal content of lead, arsenic and chromium in the soil of agricultural fields in China was reported to be 24.74 mg kg\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e (Chen et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). Although the geological structure with high concentrations of polluting elements, especially heavy metals, can cause pollution of soil resources, human activities such as the activities of polluting industries, improper use of agricultural inputs such as pesticides, chemical and organic fertilizers (especially phosphate fertilizers), fertilizers of low consumption elements, non-standard sewage sludge), sewage with inappropriate quality, atmospheric subsidence, especially in urban areas and the outskirts of cities, are among the things that affect the soil by pollutants (Rezaei et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). Other studies reported that heavy metals in the environment can have many negative effects on the health of ecosystems. For this reason, heavy metal pollution has always been a serious problem all over the world. Contaminated soil can cause irreparable damage to the environment through the effect on plants and microorganisms inside the soil (Tavakoli et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e; Adimalla et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Lee et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe amount of lead in the corn samples of Behbahan farms was higher in the autumn season than in other regions (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). The concentration of lead in corn samples from agricultural fields in Dezful and Behbahan cities was 1.33\u0026ndash;1.50 mg kg\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e. Lead is a highly toxic and non-biodegradable element that has no metabolic function in living organisms. It can be quickly absorbed and transported in plant tissues and then enter the food chain and cause plant toxicity. Through various biochemical and enzymatic reactions, lead can severely damage public health. After entering the soil and sediments, lead may be mixed with soil components and communicate with them through different geochemical parts and determine the final fate of lead in terms of bioavailability and absorption by plants (Mousavi et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). The corn plant produces high biomass and can absorb and accumulate large amounts of heavy metals in its biomass (Karam et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e). Studies have shown that cereal crops can absorb heavy metals from contaminated soils through their root systems. The amount of metal absorption varies among different types of cereals, so that some products show higher metal accumulation than others (Shahid et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e; Awino et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe average concentration of lead in soil samples was higher in autumn season than in summer season (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05), but it was higher in corn samples from agricultural fields in summer season than in autumn season (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). Also, the amount of lead metal in the soil samples of fields in Behbahan city in summer and autumn was higher than in Dezful (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). Also, there was a significant difference between the lead values in the two sampling periods (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05), but no significant difference was observed between the lead concentrations in different farms. Therefore, it can be concluded that the time variable had an effect on lead concentration. Considering that the main source of lead is the traffic of vehicles and cars, it can be concluded that its changes in surface soils were probably affected by the traffic rate of vehicles (Gazwi et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). Amounts of heavy metals have been reported in surface soils around Behbahan city and urban, industrial and agricultural areas of Dezful. Research and studies showed that the soils of Behbahan, Dezful and some native plants such as cheese and wheat are contaminated with lead, chromium and arsenic metals (Pourkhabbaz et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e; Tavakoli et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e; Payandeh et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e), which is consistent with the results of this research. The average lead level of surface soils of agricultural fields in Dezful city is reported to be 32.90 mg kg\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e (Payandeh \u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). Also, the concentration of lead and chromium metals in agricultural products such as tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, and onions in the agricultural fields of Dezful city has been reported, and the average values of lead and chromium were determined as 0.81 and 0.76 mg kg\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e, respectively (Payandeh et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e) which confirms the results of this research.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe average concentration of chromium in soil and corn samples of agricultural fields was higher in autumn season than in summer season (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). The concentration of chromium in the soil of agricultural fields in Dezful city was higher in the fall season, and the amount of chromium in the corn samples of the agricultural fields in Dezful city was higher in the summer season than in the agricultural fields in Behbahan city.. The amount of chromium in soil samples was between 73.40 and 76.96 mg kg\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e and in corn samples it was between 5.58\u0026ndash;6.53 mg kg\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e. From these results, it can be concluded that due to the relatively low level of soil contamination of agricultural lands in the province, the origin of this contamination was probably natural. Several factors affect the metal uptake process, including soil pH, metal concentration, soil organic matter content, and the presence of other elements that can compete for uptake sites on the root surface. For example, some cereal crops such as rice and barley have a higher affinity to absorb heavy metals such as cadmium and arsenic, while other cereals such as wheat and corn accumulate lower levels of these metals in similar soil conditions (Thomas \u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e; Khan et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe average amount of arsenic in soil and corn samples of agricultural fields was higher in summer than in autumn (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). Also, the amount of arsenic in the corn samples of agricultural fields in Dezful city was higher in the summer season, but the concentration of arsenic in the soil of the agricultural fields in Dezful city was higher in the autumn season. In this research, the concentration of arsenic in the soil of Behbahan and Dezful cities was 4.32\u0026ndash;43.4 mg kg\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e and in cultivated corn samples 1.30\u0026ndash;1.56 mg kg\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e. According to Iran's National Standard No. 1053, the maximum allowed amount of arsenic in agricultural soils for growing and harvesting food products is 15 mg kg\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e. The World Health Organization has stated its maximum permissible amount to be 10 mg kg\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e (Rezaei et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). Of course, this does not mean that lower amounts of this heavy metal in lower concentrations are safe.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe amount of metals transferred from the soil to the plant can be measured by the \"transfer factor\", which is defined as the ratio between the concentration of lead in the plant and the concentration of lead in the soil (Liu et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). In this research, the transfer factor of lead, arsenic and chromium metals in corn samples from Behbahan and Dezful cities was lower than 1. Plants whose transfer factors are greater than 1 are classified as over-accumulators, while plants less than 1 are classified as non-accumulators of metals (Kharazi et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). This transfer factor is different for different plant species and changes with changes in the physical and chemical properties of the soil (Liu et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). Once absorbed by the roots, heavy metals can be transported into the cereal plant through translocation processes. This movement of metals from roots to other plant organs is an important aspect of metal behavior within the plant. In some cases, heavy metals may be transported to the above-ground parts of the plant, such as leaves, stems, and seeds (Khan et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). The transfer process is not the same in all heavy metals and grain products. Some metals, such as lead, tend to remain concentrated in the roots and are less efficiently transported to the aboveground parts of the plant. However, lead contamination in soil can still affect the quality of agricultural products and pose health risks to the ecosystem. Therefore, the absorption and transfer of heavy metals in cereal products are complex processes that are influenced by various environmental and plant factors. Elucidating the mechanisms of metal uptake and transport in cereals is critical for developing strategies to minimize the accumulation of heavy metals in the edible parts of crops and to reduce the health risks associated with food consumption (Thomas \u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). This issue is much more complicated, because certain types of cereals show a greater tendency to accumulate heavy metals, while understanding these mechanisms and their diversity is necessary to maintain crop productivity and human health. The implementation of responsible soil management practices and the investigation of innovative approaches to reduce the absorption of heavy metals in grains are essential steps to ensure food safety and promote sustainable agriculture in a metal-contaminated world (Zulkafflee et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR48\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBased on the average concentration of Pb and As in corn samples from agricultural fields in Khuzestan province in summer and autumn, the non-carcinogenic hazard index (THQ) for adults and children was higher than 1, but the non-carcinogenic hazard index (THQ) of Cr in The corn yield was lower than 1. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, if the THQ value of the target metal is less than 1, the population at risk is unlikely to experience any adverse health risks, but if the THQ is equal to or greater than 1, there is a potential health risk. (USEPA, 1989). The Carcinogenic Risk Index (CR) of Pb, As and Cr in the corn crop of Dezful and Behbahan farms in Khuzestan province for adults and children was found to be higher than 10\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;4\u003c/sup\u003e. The Carcinogenic Risk Index (CR) is based on acceptable risk levels for Carcinogenicity is determined from 10\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;4\u003c/sup\u003e (human lifetime cancer risk is 1 in 10,000) to 10\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;6\u003c/sup\u003e (human lifetime cancer risk is 1 in 1,000,000) (USEPA, 2000). The results showed that children are exposed to a higher level of health risk due to the contamination of corn fields with heavy metals. Due to their lower weight and smaller body surface area, children absorb more heavy metals compared to adults. Also, due to rapid growth and more physical activity, children consume more food than adults, which causes children to be more exposed to heavy metals in food (WHO 2010). It has been reported in a research that the risk index of seven metals and the carcinogenic risks of lead and arsenic showed that there is no health risk with the consumption of fruit in the population of Korea. However, the risk index and carcinogenic risk of Pb in apples were the highest for 1\u0026ndash;2 year old children, which indicates that continuous risk monitoring is needed in this age group (Lee et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e) and in another study, the risk index of As, Pb and Cr metals It has been reported lower than 1 in Chinese wheat samples (Wang et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e), which is consistent with the results of this research.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eIn this research, the average of lead, arsenic and chromium in the soil of corn fields in Dezful and Behbahan cities were lower compared to the national environmental standard of Iran. The average amount of lead in the soil samples of corn farms in Behbahan city was higher than the amount of lead in Dezful region. The average amount of arsenic and chromium in the soil samples of corn farms in Behbahan city in the summer season was higher than the amount of arsenic and chromium in Dezful region in this season. In the autumn season, the average concentration of arsenic and chromium in the soil samples of corn farms in Dezful city was higher than the values of arsenic and chromium in corn farms in Behbahan city. According to the results of metal transfer factor in corn plant which were less than 1, corn is considered as a non-accumulating plant. Therefore, according to the data analysis for non-carcinogenic risk index (THQ) and carcinogenic risk index (CR), the studied metals can be dangerous for human health, but the non-carcinogenic hazard index (THQ) for chromium metal does not cause problems for adults and children.\u003c/p\u003e "},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003ch2\u003eAuthor Contribution\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eAuthors\u0026rsquo; ContributionConceptualization: Zeinab Gholami, Maryam Mohammadi Rouzbahani, Khoshnaz Payandeh, Sima Sabzalipour.Data curtain: Zeinab Gholami, Maryam Mohammadi Rouzbahani, Khoshnaz Payandeh, Sima Sabzalipour. Formal analysis: Zeinab Gholami, Maryam Mohammadi Rouzbahani, Khoshnaz Payandeh, Sima Sabzalipour. Investigation: Zeinab Gholami, Maryam Mohammadi Rouzbahani, Khoshnaz Payandeh, Sima Sabzalipour.Methodology: Zeinab Gholami, Maryam Mohammadi Rouzbahani, Khoshnaz Payandeh, Sima Sabzalipour. Project administration: Zeinab Gholami, Maryam Mohammadi Rouzbahani, Khoshnaz Payandeh, Sima Sabzalipour. Resources: Zeinab Gholami, Maryam Mohammadi Rouzbahani, Khoshnaz Payandeh, Sima Sabzalipour. Software: Zeinab Gholami, Maryam Mohammadi Rouzbahani, Khoshnaz Payandeh, Sima Sabzalipour. Validation: Zeinab Gholami, Maryam Mohammadi Rouzbahani, Khoshnaz Payandeh, Sima Sabzalipour. Visualization: Zeinab Gholami, Maryam Mohammadi Rouzbahani, Khoshnaz Payandeh, Sima Sabzalipour. Writing\u0026ndash;original draft: Zeinab Gholami, Maryam Mohammadi Rouzbahani, Khoshnaz Payandeh, Sima Sabzalipour. Writing\u0026ndash;review \u0026amp; editing: Zeinab Gholami, Maryam Mohammadi Rouzbahani, Khoshnaz Payandeh, Sima Sabzalipour.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eData Availability\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe raw data is provided within the supplementary information file.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n \u003cli dir=\"LTR\"\u003eAdimalla, N., Chen, J., \u0026amp; Qian, H. (2020). \u0026ldquo;Spatial characteristics of heavy metal contamination and potential human health risk assessment of urban soils: A case study from an urban region of South India.\u0026rdquo; \u003cem\u003eEcotoxicology and Environmental Safety\u003c/em\u003e, 194; 110406. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2020.110406.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli dir=\"LTR\"\u003eAkenga, T., Sudoi, V., Kerich, E., Machuka, W., \u0026amp; Ronoh, E. 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(2024). \u0026ldquo;Health risk assessment of heavy metals from grains and grain products in Gansu Province, China, 2012-2020.\u0026rdquo; \u003cem\u003eJournal of Food Composition and Analysis\u003c/em\u003e, 125; 105851.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli dir=\"LTR\"\u003eWorld Health Organization (WHO). (2010). \u0026ldquo;Exposure to cadmium: a major public health concern.\u0026rdquo; WHO Press.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli dir=\"LTR\"\u003eZulkafflee, N.S., Redzuan, N.A.M., Nematbakhsh, S., Selamat, J., Ismail, M.R., Praveena, S.M., Lee, S.Y., \u0026amp; Abdull Razis, A.F. (2022). \u0026ldquo;Heavy metal contamination in Oryza sativa L. at the eastern region of Malaysia and its risk assessment.\u0026rdquo; \u003cem\u003eInternational \u003cem\u003eJournal of Environmental Research\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003ePublic Health\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/em\u003e, 19; 739. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19020739.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"soil pollution, toxic metals, human health risk, corn agricultural fields, food chain","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5206141/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5206141/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eCorn is one of the most important grains in the human food basket, which is also widely cultivated in Iran. This research was conducted with the aim of evaluating the status of arsenic, lead and chromium contamination in corn (\u003cem\u003eZea mays\u003c/em\u003e) samples grown in Dezful and Behbahan cities from Khuzestan province. In this research, 5 farms were randomly selected in each city and from each field, 5 soil samples and 5 corn samples were prepared in the summer season. For the autumn season, the same sampling was done as in the summer season. Therefore, a total of 50 soil samples and 50 corn samples were collected from the two study areas of Dezful and Behbahan cities in 2022. The average concentration of Pb, As and Cr in corn samples was 1.84, 1.57 and 4.92 mg kg\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e and in soil samples 11.91, 4.02 and 76.86 mg kg\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e respectively. The concentration of As and Cr in the soil of the agricultural fields of Dezful was higher in the fall season and in the corn samples in the summer season. The amount of Pb in corn and soil samples of agricultural fields in Behbahan was higher in autumn than in Dezful. According to the non-carcinogenic risk index (THQ) and carcinogenic risk index (CR), metals can be dangerous for human health, but the non-carcinogenic hazard index (THQ) for Cr does not cause problems for adults and children.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Comparison of heavy metals concentration and health risk assessment in corn (Zea mays) agricultural field in the southwest of Iran","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-11-20 08:56:52","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5206141/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2024-11-21T03:35:43+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2024-11-20T13:14:28+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2024-11-15T10:50:57+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"216957129432854032987756252774060285914","date":"2024-11-15T10:33:52+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"123235786842630925201907674815894485984","date":"2024-11-14T08:06:52+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2024-11-09T08:08:11+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"285317044838204188996968913444171688862","date":"2024-10-30T06:43:56+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"288154790768383127702823740803460324183","date":"2024-10-30T06:10:37+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"303749016970770980044511660344647713605","date":"2024-10-30T06:09:43+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2024-10-30T06:03:10+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2024-10-30T05:50:05+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2024-10-30T05:43:59+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2024-10-29T05:13:51+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Scientific Reports","date":"2024-10-04T21:14:18+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"bd3e4409-1f43-4e14-9657-bb72e8acb2fc","owner":[],"postedDate":"November 20th, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[{"id":39606817,"name":"Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental sciences"},{"id":39606818,"name":"Earth and environmental sciences/Ecology/Ecosystem ecology"},{"id":39606819,"name":"Health sciences/Health care/Public health"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-05-05T15:58:01+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-5206141","link":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-89281-w","journal":{"identity":"scientific-reports","isVorOnly":false,"title":"Scientific Reports"},"publishedOn":"2025-05-04 15:56:55","publishedOnDateReadable":"May 4th, 2025"},"versionCreatedAt":"2024-11-20 08:56:52","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1038/s41598-025-89281-w","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-89281-w","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-5206141","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-5206141","identity":"rs-5206141","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}