Heavy metal accumulation in paddy plants and health risks: Insights from southern peninsular Malaysia and global research trends

This current study assessed the toxicity of selected heavy metals in paddy and sediments of non-major production sites in Southern Peninsular Malaysia, complemented by bibliometric analysis of research trends and health implications of rice contamination. Paddy (grains, stems, roots) and soil samples were collected from seven selected sites in the Southern parts of Peninsular Malaysia and analyzed for their heavy metals content. The health risk assessments were conducted based on estimated daily intake, and the Web of Science database was used for bibliometric analysis. The results indicated elevated levels of manganese, Mn (0.4 ± 0.07), especially in the roots, compared to other heavy metals. Generally, the heavy metal levels in paddy grains were below FAO/WHO’s tolerable daily intake levels, indicating minimal non-carcinogenic risks to both adults and children. The bibliometric analysis indicated a significant increase in related publications, reflecting growing academic interest. This study highlights the potential of non-major sites to produce rice with lower contamination levels, provides insights into research trends, and identifies future investigation areas, especially for major production sites and post-COVID-19 periods. Therefore, this study offers a robust scientific context, identifies research gaps, benchmarks findings, and guides future research directions, ensuring an in-depth perception on heavy metal contamination and its health risks. © This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.