A profile of arsenic species in different vegetables growing in arsenic-contaminated soils

Six different vegetables (black radish, black salsify, lettuce, parsnip, Savoy cabbage and Swede turnip) were cultivated in model pot experiments. The soils used in the experiments originated from two mining and smelting sites in the Czech Republic – Příbram and Kutná Hora, respectively. These soils showed differences in physicochemical properties and/or total contents of arsenic, reaching 36.0 ± 1.0 and 473 ± 10 mg As kg−1, respectively. The four most common anionic arsenic compounds (arsenite As(III), arsenate As(V), dimethylarsinate (DMA), methylarsonate (MA)) were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. The concentration of arsenic species determined in edible plant parts decreased in the following order: Higher proportions of both DMA and MA were found in the aboveground edible parts (leaves) compared to the underground parts (tubers). The results indicate that the distribution of arsenic compounds differed predominantly according to individual plant species whereas almost no effect was observed due to the different soil properties. However, a higher arsenic concentration in soils resulted in more arsenic in the plant independently of the aboveground biomass (leaves) or the underground plant parts (tubers).