Abstract
This study aimed at determination of heavy metals (cadmium, lead, and zinc) in milk-based infant formulas collected from Mekelle, Ethiopia, and their associated health risks to the infants through consumption of these products. The infant feeding samples were dry-ashed in a muffle furnace followed by digestion in nitric acid and the resulting solutions were analyzed by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Cadmium was not detected in the samples while the levels of lead and zinc ranged from not detected value to 0.103 mg/kg and from 27.888 to 71.553 mg/kg, respectively. The estimated daily intake values and the health risk indices of both metals were below their respective safety limits and the threshold of 1, respectively. These findings show low infant health risk of these metals through consumption of these products. Nevertheless, regular monitoring of infant formula for toxic metals is required since infants are potentially more susceptible to metals.
Highlights
Infant feeding deserves top priority in child healthcare and appropriate infant formula can prevent millions of deaths occurring from infantile gastroenteritis and malnutrition [1]
The cadmium levels recorded in infant formula products collected from the Nigerian market were 0.05–0.4 mg/kg [11]
Aguzue et al [11] reported 0.08–0.23 mg/kg of lead levels in infant formula in Abuja, Nigeria, whereas lower amounts, 0.00375–0.0249 mg/kg, of lead were recorded in similar samples in Turkey [17]
Summary
Infant feeding deserves top priority in child healthcare and appropriate infant formula can prevent millions of deaths occurring from infantile gastroenteritis and malnutrition [1]. Infants are potentially more sensitive to environmental contaminants such as toxic heavy metals because of their significant higher absorption of contaminants than adults and a lower threshold for adverse effects. The developing systems, including nervous system development, of babies are vulnerable to toxic heavy metals lead [2, 3]. Even at low concentrations of exposure heavy metals bioaccumulate in vital organs and persist in adulthood [3,4,5]. The impact of lead exposure at low levels has been entrenched and concentrations below toxic have exhibited impairment of neurobehavioral and learning process in infants [3]. Exposure to cadmium has a great contribution to kidney toxicity, cancer, renal stone formation, neurological effects, disturbances in calcium metabolism, and diseases [6,7,8]. Even though zinc is essential micronutrient and has different biochemical functions in living organisms; this metal can be dangerous when taken in excess [9]
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