Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sewage-irrigated vegetables from industrial cities in Haryana, India

The majority of Indians consume a lot of vegetables because of their health advantages. High concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in vegetables may be seriously harmful to consumers’ health. The method for identifying and measuring 16 USEPA polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in samples of sewage-irrigated vegetables from three industrial cities in Haryana, India, is described in this research. Ultrasonication, liquid–liquid extraction using n-hexane as a solvent, clean-up using a Florisil column, and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with a UV detector were all included in the process. The PAHs were successfully linearized (R² > 0.99) at various doses. Results for PAH recovery ranged from 90 to about 100%. The limit of quantification was 0.002–0.580, and the limit of detection was 0.0006–0.174 µgkg⁻¹. Data indicated that the highest mean concentrations of ∑16 PAHs were detected in Spinach (123.36 µgkg⁻¹), in carrot (105.09 µgkg⁻¹), and in cucumber (63.40 µgkg⁻¹) among leafy, underground, and fruity vegetables, respectively.