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Vegetables grown on the Yamuna floodplain have been found to contain high doses of lead, which, on prolonged consumption, could trigger a range of diseases, including cancer, and damage organs, according to a new study by the NEERI (National Environmental Engineering Research Institute). These vegetables are supplied to large wholesale mandis such as the ones in Azadpur, Ghazipur and Okhla and distributed further to be sold at weekly markets as well as by local vendors across the city, with the highest concentration being in east Delhi though a precise area-wise sales break-up is not available. The heaviest lead contamination was found in coriander collected from east Delhi’s Geeta Colony. Except for cabbage, lead levels were found to be above the standard in all vegetables collected from vendors, with the highest level found in spinach (14.1 mg/kg). While the safe limit for lead in vegetables has been set at 2.5mg/kg by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the level of the metal detected in vegetable samples collected from the floodplain ranges from 2.8mg/kg to 13.8mg/kg.