Study on Toxic Metal Levels in Food Supplements

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the chronic-toxic risks posed by individual metals via food supplements consumption by computing the hazard quotient (HQ), considering the average daily metal intake ADD (mg/kg�day), daily intake reference dose RfD (mg/kg� day) suggested by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), heavy metal concentration C in food supplements (mg/kg), food supplements rate IR (kg/person�day), and the average body weight BW (kg). For this study we took into consideration that the food supplements analyzed are consumed daily at maximum dose. Samples were digested with concentrated nitric and hydrochloric acid and analysed for their inorganic elemental compositions by ICP/MS. The hazard index (HI) was used to estimate total chronic-toxic risks of multiple metals on the assumption of dose additivity. Cd hazard index is over one and it can be considered a great issue due to its chemical toxicology. The Cd hazard index is much greater in the case of animal and mineral food supplements than vegetal supplements. In the case of the other heavy metals analyzed (Cr, Cu, Zn, As, Hg and Pb) the hazard index is very low so their toxicological potential is negligible.