Distribution and safety assessment of heavy metals in fresh meat from Zhejiang, China

Jian Long Han,Qing Chen,Xiao Dong Pan

doi:10.1038/s41598-022-07214-3

Jian Long Han, Qing Chen + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-07214-3

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Abstract

There are increasing concerns on heavy metals in animal derived foods. We analyzed the levels of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, and Pb in 1066 fresh meat samples including pork, beef, mutton, chicken and duck from Zhejiang province, southeast China. The average levels of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, and Pb were 0.018, 0.002, 0.061, 0.801, 0.0038, 0.055, and 0.029 mg/kg wet weight respectively. There are significant positive correlations among Cd, Hg and Pb (P < 0.05) and negative correlations for Cu–Pb or Cu–Cd (P < 0.05). The exposure assessment showed that the health risk to humans by consuming these meat products was relatively low. However, regular monitoring of heavy metals in meat products is still recommended considering their intensive industrial activities.

Highlights

IntroductionThere are increasing concerns on heavy metals in animal derived foods. We analyzed the levels of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, and Pb in 1066 fresh meat samples including pork, beef, mutton, chicken and duck from Zhejiang province, southeast China
The contamination of harmful elements in livestock and poultry are caused by animal feeds, especially in some areas with intense manufacturing activities, industrial emissions, coal combustion, and ore m ining[4,5]. When toxic elements, such as cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) are released into water, soil or air, they could be accumulated by plants and fishes, which are the main raw materials of animal feeds[6–8]
The present study revealed the levels of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, and Pb in livestock and poultry meats from Zhejiang of southeast China, which showed samples with 0.09% (As), 0.19% (Hg) and 0.94% (Pb) were exceeding the maximum allowable concentrations set by Chinese legislation

Summary

Introduction

There are increasing concerns on heavy metals in animal derived foods. We analyzed the levels of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, and Pb in 1066 fresh meat samples including pork, beef, mutton, chicken and duck from Zhejiang province, southeast China. Regular monitoring of heavy metals in meat products is still recommended considering their intensive industrial activities. The contamination of harmful elements in livestock and poultry are caused by animal feeds, especially in some areas with intense manufacturing activities, industrial emissions, coal combustion, and ore m ining[4,5]. When toxic elements, such as cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) are released into water, soil or air, they could be accumulated by plants and fishes, which are the main raw materials of animal feeds[6–8]. The high exposure to these metals in meat consumption has negative effects to human body, such as nerve damage, nephropathy and cancers[11–13]. Our data may provide some insights into toxic elements accumulation in farmed animals and serve as a basis for profiling the public health problem

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