Determination of several heavy metals in staple foods from traditional markets in Jakarta using neutron activation analysis

Abstract

Residue of heavy metals in food can occur due to their existence in the environment, because of human activities such as industry, car exhausts, farming or contamination during storage. Exposure of these metals to people can happen by ingesting contaminated food. Harmful effects of heavy metals can grow due to their accumulation in the body. The research has been carried out to determine several heavy metals such as Co, Cr, Hg and Zn in selected foodstuffs from traditional markets in Jakarta, as the capital city of Indonesia. Determination of heavy metals content was performed using Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) method. The range concentration of Co, Cr, Hg and Zn in the foods was 0.01-0.15 μg/g, 0.02-0.49 μg/g, 0.02 – 0.25 μg/g and 1.87-46.2 μg/g respectively. Health risk index was also determined to assess the toxicity potential of heavy metals in foods, and the results showed that the selected staple foods from Jakarta are safe for consumption.