TITLE OF THE PROJECT: IDENTIFICATION AND PREVENTION OF THE CHEMICAL RISK IN IRRIGATED
AGRICULTURE. HOLISTIC IMPACT OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ON THE UPTAKE OF CONTAMINANTS AT FULLSCALE CROPS
ACRONYM: RACE
SUMMARY
The agrifood production in peri-urban areas, known as proximity agriculture, has been
acknowledged to be more environmentally friendly since it minimizes the carbon dioxide
footprint in terms of food transport, offers the possibility of water reclamation from urban
wastewaters and its reuse as well as the possibility to obtain easier fresh food products in
large cities. However, the large infrastructure (e.g. solid waste incineration, airports,
highways, harbors) surrounding the large cities exerts an environmental pressure that can
become sources of pollution into the peri-urban agriculture. This project aims to assess as an
integrated approach, the impact of the atmospheric pollution, rainfall, soil and irrigation water
on selected crops (e.g. lettuce, artichoke, cabbage, tomato, egg-plant and zucchini) on the
crop yield and its chemical contamination load. In this respect, a case study in the Llobregat
delta (Barcelona, Spain) will be performed where a pollution gradient and different physicalchemical
quality of irrigation water is expected. Accordingly, priority organic contaminants
(e.g. PAHs, PCBs, DDTs, PFOS, PBDEs, triazinic and phenoxy acid herbicides, pyrethroids),
emerging persistent (carbamazepine, BPA, PFCA, antibiotics), heavy metals (Cu, Ba, Zn,
Pb, Hg, Cd) and metalloids (As) will be determined in the above mentioned environmental
compartments. In food products, the eatable part of the plant will be analysed and the
metabolomic approach will be used to assess the enzymatic response to the pollution
gradient. The database generated in the project will be evaluated by statistical methods to
assess the relative contribution of the different pollution sources in the crops. Finally, the risk
associated to food consumption according with a standard diet will be evaluated according to
the European Food Safety Agency’s methodology and strategies to minimize the uptake of
contaminants by crops will be developed. Project results will be disseminate to the agrifood
sector, administration, and scientific community at national and international level
KEY WORDS: food crops, contaminant uptake, pollution sources, modelling, risk
assessment; food safty, human health, food safty
AGRICULTURE. HOLISTIC IMPACT OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ON THE UPTAKE OF CONTAMINANTS AT FULLSCALE CROPS
ACRONYM: RACE
SUMMARY
The agrifood production in peri-urban areas, known as proximity agriculture, has been
acknowledged to be more environmentally friendly since it minimizes the carbon dioxide
footprint in terms of food transport, offers the possibility of water reclamation from urban
wastewaters and its reuse as well as the possibility to obtain easier fresh food products in
large cities. However, the large infrastructure (e.g. solid waste incineration, airports,
highways, harbors) surrounding the large cities exerts an environmental pressure that can
become sources of pollution into the peri-urban agriculture. This project aims to assess as an
integrated approach, the impact of the atmospheric pollution, rainfall, soil and irrigation water
on selected crops (e.g. lettuce, artichoke, cabbage, tomato, egg-plant and zucchini) on the
crop yield and its chemical contamination load. In this respect, a case study in the Llobregat
delta (Barcelona, Spain) will be performed where a pollution gradient and different physicalchemical
quality of irrigation water is expected. Accordingly, priority organic contaminants
(e.g. PAHs, PCBs, DDTs, PFOS, PBDEs, triazinic and phenoxy acid herbicides, pyrethroids),
emerging persistent (carbamazepine, BPA, PFCA, antibiotics), heavy metals (Cu, Ba, Zn,
Pb, Hg, Cd) and metalloids (As) will be determined in the above mentioned environmental
compartments. In food products, the eatable part of the plant will be analysed and the
metabolomic approach will be used to assess the enzymatic response to the pollution
gradient. The database generated in the project will be evaluated by statistical methods to
assess the relative contribution of the different pollution sources in the crops. Finally, the risk
associated to food consumption according with a standard diet will be evaluated according to
the European Food Safety Agency’s methodology and strategies to minimize the uptake of
contaminants by crops will be developed. Project results will be disseminate to the agrifood
sector, administration, and scientific community at national and international level
KEY WORDS: food crops, contaminant uptake, pollution sources, modelling, risk
assessment; food safty, human health, food safty