Toxic elements in children's multivitamin-multimineral supplements and the health risks they pose

Abstract

This work aimed to determine the levels of toxic elements (As, Cd, Hg, and Pb) and their risks in children's multivitamin-multimineral (CMVM) supplements. An inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) was used to quantify the studied elements. The mean concentrations and ranges (μg/kg) of the toxic elements in the CMVM products were as follows: As (32.4, 5.3–90); Cd (58.2, 6–129); Hg (42.2, 6–108); and Pb (231,8.6–541). The estimated oral daily intakes (EODI) were determined to be in the range of 0.01–0.31 μg/day, 0.01–0.64 μg/day, 0.02–0.53 μg/day, and 0.01–2.36μg/day for As, Cd, Hg, and Pb, respectively. All the EODI values were below the tolerable intake limits set for each element. The chronic non-cancer risks associated with oral exposure to studied elements were evaluated using the target hazard quotient (THQ) and the hazard index (HI). The THQ and HI values were below 1, indicating that these products were safe for consumption by children. The potential cancer risks associated with exposure to As and Pb through the consumption of CMVM products were determined using the Incremental Lifetime Cancer Risk (ILCR) and the total cancer risks (TCR). The ILCR and TCR values were below the threshold value of 1 × 10–4, indicating that the risk of developing cancer was very low and ignorable.