Effect of the Cultivation Method and the Distance from a Steel Mill on the Content of Heavy Metals in Bell Pepper Fruit

Vegetables grown in areas affected by industrial emissions may be subject to contamination with heavy metals. In the present study, this issue was investigated in sweet pepper grown using two different methods and at various distances from a steel mill. Four sites, designated Ko, Po, Wa, and Ru, located at distances of 3.5, 6, 11, and 18 km from a steel mill, were selected for the study. The contents of zinc, copper, nickel, manganese, cadmium, chromium, and lead were determined in the pepper fruits and in the soil. Peppers grown in the vicinity of a steel mill had acceptable contents of all the elements analysed; only cadmium concentrations were excessive for food plants. The study confirmed the effect of a plastic greenhouse on the concentrations of metals in the analysed pepper fruits, whereas the cultivation method had no statistically significant effect on the levels of the elements in the soil. The distance factor also affected the concentrations of metals in the peppers and soil, but to a lesser extent than the cultivation method. The combined effect of both factors was the least pronounced, for all elements in the fruits and in the soil.