Mean Lead Concentration Research Articles

Evaluation of Toxicological Risk Related to Presence of Lead and Cadmium in <i>Moringa oleifera</i> Lam. Leaves Powders Marketed in Cotonou (Benin)

To evaluate lead and cadmium contamination in Moringa oleifera leaves powders marketed in Cotonou and health risks associated with its consumption, cross-sectional and analytical study were done from October 23th, 2012 to June 20th, 2013. Samples of Moringa powders were purchased at different outlets (health centers, supermarkets, pharmacy, etc.). Assays were performed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry after digestion according calcination method. Pb and Cd levels were compared with Codex Alimentarius standards, using the Student t test. Daily Exposure Doses (DDE) and Hazard Quotients (HQ) specific to each contaminant were calculated using a conventional method. Results revealed that the mean concentration of lead for all samples (1.526 mg/kg) exceeded of about 5.08 times the maximum allowable limit whereas cadmium levels (0.246 mg/kg) was not statistically higher than the standard. The highest concentrations of Pb and Cd are respectively 4.263 mg/kg and 0.354 mg/kg. Children are 2.3 to 3.8 times in greater danger than adults although all QD calculated are less than 1, reflecting that there is a low risk to consumers in general. For both metals, DJE specifically linked to the consumption of Moringa was less than 2% compared to other kinds of food intake. In conclusion, the current level of contamination (with lead and cadmium) of Moringa leaves powders marketed in Cotonou is not yet an alarming threat to consumers’ health. However, care must be taken to reduce chemical pollution especially soils where these plants grow.

LEAD AND ZINC IN FINGER NAILS AND SCALP HAIR OF ADULT MALES IN KENYA

Lead and zinc concentrations were determined in scalp hair and finger nails of exposed and unexposed males by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). The mean levels of Pb in the finger nails ranged from 50-480 μg/g, and 50-240 μg/g for exposed and unexposed males respectively. The mean levels of Pb in the scalp hair ranged from 30-410 μg/g, and 30-200 μg/g for exposed and unexposed males respectively. The mean levels of Zn in the finger nails ranged from 40-400 μg/g and 80-450 μg/g for exposed and unexposed males respectively, while in the scalp hair the mean levels of Zn ranged from 30-490 μg/g and 50-440 μg/g for exposed and unexposed males respectively. The study established that there was a negative correlation between Pb and essential element Zn in both scalp hair and finger nail samples of unexposed male respondents. However, Pb was found to have a positive correlation with Zn in the finger nails and scalp hair samples for the exposed males. There was no significant difference (P>0.05) indicated when Pb and Zn mean levels were compared in the combined samples of finger nails and scalp hair. Comparing the mean lead concentration in scalp hair with finger nails a significant difference was indicated in the two tissues (P<0.05). Human hair and finger nails are therefore recording filaments that can reflect metabolic changes over long period of time and hence furnish a print out of post nutritional event of dietary levels of some of the essential elements.

Heavy metals concentration in vegetables irrigated with contaminated and fresh water and estimation of their daily intakes in suburb areas of Hamadan, Iran.

This study was conducted to estimate the level of heavy metals accumulate in vegetables irrigated with contaminated water compared with those irrigated with fresh water in Hamadan, west of Iran in 2012. Sixty samples of different vegetables i.e., parsley, tarragon, sweat basil and leek irrigated with contaminated water and thirty six samples from three different adjacent areas irrigated with fresh water as control were analyzed to determine heavy metals. The concentration of heavy metals i.e., lead, cadmium and chromium were achieved using atomic adsorption spectrophotometer. The mean concentration of lead, chromium and cadmium regardless of the kind of vegetables irrigated with contaminated water was 6.24, 1.57 and 0.15 mg/kg, respectively. Moreover, metals uptake differences by the vegetables were recognized to vegetable differences in tolerance to heavy metals. Based on the above concentrations the dietary intakes of metals through vegetables consumption were 0.004, 0.0008 and 6E-05 mg/day in infants for lead, chromium and cadmium, respectively. The high concentration of these heavy metals in some vegetables might be attributed due to the use of untreated sanitary and industrial wastewater by farmers for the irrigation of vegetable lands. Therefore, treating of these wastewater and bioremediation of excess metals from polluted vegetation land could be considered.

Determination of lead concentration in breast milk and blood of lactanting women in an interior city of Brasil

ABSTRACT Background: breast milk offers numerous advantages biological and emotional. However, in some situations, can transfer harmful elements for the health of infants. Objective: to determine lead levels in the blood and milk of mothers whose children frequent a primary mother-child health care. Methods: a cross-sectional, observational and descriptive study of 70 healthy women who were breast-feeding babies younger than six months during 01/04/2011 to 30/09/2011. Lead determination was performed by mass spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma. A linear regression model was adjusted to determine the association between lead concentrations in maternal milk and blood. The estimated values of the difference between means and their 95% confidence intervals were obtained. Results: mean lead concentration in milk was 1.462 ng/mL and blood lead concentration was 1.801 μg/dL. Conclusions: human milk is not a source of contamination for the babies in this area. However, more studies are needed in other regions of the country in view of the growing evidence of foci of lead contamination, which may represent an occult risk for the population.

English

The present study was carried out to determine the lead and cadmium concentration in maternal and umbilical cord blood and placental tissue and breast milk, evaluating forty deliveries with normal evolution of pregnant women living in a mining-smelting town in Peru. In this study, mean concentration of lead in the blood of both women and their neonates were 27.2 ± 15.9 and 18.5 ± 13.0 µg/dl, respectively with 83% of the women and 65% of the neonates having toxic levels. Mean cadmium concentrations in maternal blood were below the safe upper limit, but 45% of women had levels above 10 µg/dl. On the other hand, the mean cadmium concentration in umbilical cord blood was 12.0 ± 17.8 µg/dl, with 38% of neonates having levels above 10 µg/dl. The mean concentrations of lead and cadmium in maternal milk were 108.9 ± 69.4 and 5.6 ± 4.3 µg/dl, respectively. In addition, lead and cadmium in cord blood accounted for 67.8 and 136.4% compared to concentrations in maternal blood. There was negative relationship between the concentration of lead in the umbilical cord blood and the birth weight of the neonate (p = 0.006). From this study, it is evident that lead contamination and to lesser extent cadmium, pose a problem in pregnant women in this region. In addition, although the placenta appears to act as a protective barrier to the fetus, transfers of these metals to the fetus still persist. Furthermore, the concentration of lead was quite high in maternal milk and could be an important source of contamination to the infant. Finally, there was a negative association between the levels of lead in the umbilical cord blood and the birth weight.   Key words: Lead in umbilical cord blood, cadmium in umbilical cord blood, lead in maternal milk, cadmium in maternal milk, lead in placenta, cadmium in placenta, mining-smelting town.

Heavy Metal Content of Foods and Health Risk Assessment in the Study Population of Vadodara

Indiscriminate disposal of waste water by industries and use of effluent from the effluent channel for irrigation purpose in the peri-urban areas poses a major threat to food safety. The key objective of this study was therefore to estimate the heavy metal content of foods grown around the city of Vadodara and assess the health risk in the study population. A total of 40 foods and 17 water samples were assayed for heavy metal content using the AAS. The results indicated that the mean Arsenic content of cereals (4ppm), pulses (2.5ppm), other vegetables (1.95ppm), green leafy vegetables (5ppm) and roots and tubers (2.5ppm) exceeded the critical values. Cereals (1.65ppm), fruits (1.98ppm) and curd (2.8ppm) exceeded the critical limits for Cadmium. Mean Arsenic (3.79ppm) and Lead (0.17ppm) content in drinking water was higher than the limits. Health risk assessed using Total Daily Intake (TDI), Provisional Tolerable Daily Intake (PTDI), Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake (PTWI), provisional tolerable monthly intake (PTMI), Daily Intake of Metals(DIM), Health Risk Index (HRI) and Total hazard Quotient (THQ) for Cadmium, Lead and Arsenic indicated that the study population was at risk of heavy metal toxicity.

Tobacco Smoke Exposure During Pregnancy Increases Maternal Blood Lead Levels Affecting Neonate Birth Weight

To assess the effect of lead exposure from cigarette smoke on fetal growth, blood lead concentrations were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in 150 healthy pregnant women. Mean lead concentrations in plasma and whole blood were significantly higher in the smoking group compared with the nonsmoking group in each trimester of pregnancy (p < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed the highest impact of the number of cigarettes smoked per day for serum lead concentration (β = 0.238; p < 0.05), while in whole blood, it was duration of smoking before conception (β = 0.297; p < 0.001). Birth weight of the smoking mothers' infants was significantly lower (mean ± SEM, 3,192 ± 50.8 and 3,569 ± 49.6 g, respectively; p < 0.001) and negatively correlated with lead levels in plasma (r = −0.38; p < 0.001) and in whole blood (r = −0.27; p < 0.001). Therefore, it is suggested that smoking during pregnancy increases lead concentrations in maternal blood. Fetal exposure to low doses of lead in utero may be a serious risk factor causing lower birth weight.

Land use and lead content in the soils of London

It is important to understand how and where pollution and other anthropogenic processes compromise the ability of urban soil to serve as a component of the natural infrastructure. An extensive survey of the topsoil of the Greater London Area (GLA) in the United Kingdom has recently been completed by a non-probability systematic sampling scheme. We studied data on lead content from this survey. We examined an overall hypothesis that land use, as recorded at the time of sampling, is an important source of the variation of soil lead content, and we examined specific orthogonal contrasts to test particular hypotheses about land use effects. The assumption that the residuals from land use effects are independent random variables cannot be sustained because of the non-probability sampling. For this reason model-based analyses were used to test the hypotheses. One particular contrast, between the lead content in the soil of domestic gardens and that in the soil under parkland or recreational land, was modelled as a spatially dependent random variable, predicted optimally by cokriging.We found that land use is an important source of variation in lead content of topsoil. Industrial sites had the largest mean lead content, followed by domestic gardens. Detailed contrasts between land uses are reported. For example, the lead content in soil of parkland did not differ significantly from that of recreational land, but the soil in these two land uses, considered together, had significantly less lead than did the soil of domestic gardens. Local cokriging predictions of this contrast varied substantially, and were larger in outer parts of the GLA, particularly in the south west.

Estimation of Lead and Copper Levels in Milk

Lead and copper levels were determined in 96 samples of milk and twelve milk samples were individually collected from buffaloes, cows, goats, ewes, adult and infant dried powder milk, liquid pasteurized milk and condensed milk from different regions and Local markets of Mosul city, during the period from October 2011 to March 2012. The findings referred to the presence of lead and copper in the concentration of 0.623 and 0.590, 0.566 and 1.323, 0.191 and 0.640, 0.152 and 0.593 mg/kg in the buffalos, cows, goats and ewes, milk, respectively. The percentage of milk samples exceeding the permissible limits 100% of lead and copper in buffalos' milk and lead in cows' milk and 83.3% for lead in ewes' milk and for copper in cows, goats and ewes' milk and 66.6% for lead in goats milk. The results showed that the mean concentration of lead and copper 0.524 and 0.824, 0.127 and 0.958, 0.323 and 0.375, 1.402 and 0.462 mg/kg in the adult dried powder, infant, pasteurized and condensed milk, respectively. Milk samples which exceed the permissible limits of lead 100% in adult dried, pasteurized and condensed milk and for copper in the infant and adult dried powder milk and 83.3% for lead in the infant milk and 33.3%, 16.6% for copper in pasteurized and condensed milk. The findings showed no significant differences in the mean concentration rates of lead and copper among all types of raw milk in study. However, there was a significant difference in the mean concentration levels of copper between adult and infant milk from pasteurized and condensed milk.

Heavy metals in raw cow and ewe milk from north-east Iran

The presence of toxic metals in milk may create significant health problems for the population. In this study, 1440 raw cow and ewe milk samples from 18 townships in north-east Iran were analysed in four different seasons. Lead, cadmium and mercury levels were determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Mean concentration of lead, cadmium and mercury in cow milk samples was 12.9 ± 6.0, 0.3 ± 0.3 and 3.1 ± 0.3 ng g−1, respectively, and in ewe milk samples, these mean values were 14.9 ± 7.8, 1.6 ± 1.2 and 3.1 ± 0.3 ng g−1, respectively. Statistical analyses showed that lead and cadmium concentrations in ewe milk were significantly higher than in cow milk. Concentrations of these metals in ewe milk varied significantly with different seasons. As the concentrations did not exceed the safety limits, they could not pose a serious danger to public health.

Determination of Lead (Pb) Residue in Kidney, Liver, and Muscle of Slaughtered Cattle in Jos Central Abattoir, Plateau State, Nigeria

Lead (Pb) concentration was determined in 150 samples (50 livers, 50 kidneys, and 50 muscles) of slaughtered cattle at Jos Central Abattoir. The samples were analyzed for lead using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The mean concentration of lead in liver, kidney, and muscle samples were 1.887 mg/kg, 1.2790 mg/kg, and 0.6680 mg/kg respectively. Out of the samples analyzed, only 21 samples (5 samples of liver, 6 samples of kidney and 10 samples of muscles) were within the recommended Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO, 2002) permissible limits of lead concentration in liver, kidney and muscle of bovine. There was a significant difference (P<0.05) in the concentration of lead in the liver, kidney and muscle samples tested.

Relationship between the level of zinc, lead, cadmium, nickel and chromium in hair of people with diabetes

It has long been believed that some metals possess many adverse health effects. Recently, certain elements have been identified as essential trace elements that play an important role in the genesis and progression of several diseases. Some toxic metals have also been shown to be elevated in biological samples of diabetes mellitus patients. The status of trace elements in diabetes patients is also influenced by their diet, drugs administered and, to a large extent, by environmental factors. Pollutants due to the presence of toxic metals in environment not only enter the body by breading, water, and foodstuff accumulates in hair, but they could be adsorbed directly on the hair from environment. The aim of present study was to investigate the relationship between the level of zinc, lead, cadmium, nickel and chromium in hair samples of diabetic women from Tehran (Iran). The study population consisted of 100 women between 30 to 70 years of age from Tehran. The hair samples were washed with 1% (w/v) (DDTC), 0.1M HCL and deionized water. Afterwards, the hair sample dried in oven at 70° C for 5 hours and then digested the next day. Dry ashing digestion procedure was carried out. The concentration of elements was measured by means of an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The statistical analysis confirmed that mean concentrations of lead and nickel did not differ significantly from the control group. The results of this study showed that the mean values of Cr and Zn were significantly decreased in scalp hair samples of diabetic patients as compared to control subjects. Hair Cd level was significantly higher in type 2 diabetic patients. Values of Pearson correlation coefficient showed positive correlation between these elements.

Lead Concentration in Primary School Soil-Dust in Nigeria, Africa

Lead in soil has been recognized as a public health problem, particularly among children. In recent years, attention has been directed to cumulative adverse effects of lead at low levels of intake. Lead- contaminated soil and dust have been identified as important contributors to blood lead levels. This work examines the total concentration of lead in primary school soil-dust in Nigeria. Soil-dusts were collected randomly from six geopolitical areas of Nigeria, digested and analysed for total lead concentration by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry. The mean lead concentration in the dry season for the North East (NE), North West (NW), North Central (NC), South South (SS), South East (SE), South West (SW) were 131.60 ± 70.98 mg/kg, 108.04 ± 47.33 mg/kg, 72.94 ± 55.45 mg/kg, 66.14 ± 43.9 mg/kg, 45.98 ± 34.60 mg/kg and 67.98 ± 34.89 mg/kg respectively. In the raining season the mean lead concentration were 130.78 ± 70.80 mg/kg, 106.24 ± 47.02 mg/kg, 70.96 ± 55.52 mg/kg, 64.12 ± 48.00 mg/kg, 44.58 ± 28.90 mg/kg, and 66.26 ± 41.87 mg/kg respectively. This analysis is necessary to provide scientific data base for the loading of lead in classroom soil-dust in each zone. The authors recommend measurement and surveillance of lead blood level of the primary school children and a clean-up of both classrooms and the school environment.

Determination of Lead and Zinc in urine in Saudi population

Cigarettes contain over 4000 chemicals including heave metals like lead and zinc; over 20 are probably carcinogenic and over 60 are mutagenic. Approximately 11% of the lead in the cigarette enters the smoke, and half of that is believed to enter the smoker's lungs. Zinc is also present in cigarettes (average 24µg/gm) and about 70% of it is transferred to the smoke. Prolonged exposure to lead and zinc is associated with multiple health hazards and may also lead to various neurological and metabolic disorders. In the present study, Lead and Zinc were determined in urine samples of smokers (n=30), passive smokers (n=30) and non- smokers (n=17) from different districts of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Analysis was performed using Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (GFAAS) for lead and Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (FAAS) for zinc. The mean urine lead and zinc concentration in smokers was higher than non-smokers, while concentration of lead and zinc in urine samples of passive smokers was more or equal to smokers. Our results have shown that available concentrations of lead and zinc are higher in smokers and passive smoker's urine than non-smokers, and a correlation exists between lead and zinc concentrations and the period of smoking.

Microelements and heavy metals in raw cow milk from various regions in Serbia

In this study, the investigation results of raw milk and animal feed samples from farms located around industrial areas and from rural areas in Serbia are presented. Various microelements and heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Fe, Pb and Cd) were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). Mean concentration of Zn, Cu, Fe and Cd in raw milk were 5.94, 0.239, 2.034 and below 0.005 mg/kg, respectively. The mean lead concentration found in milk from a farm located near industrial area was 0.242?0.166 mg/kg (mean Pb concentrations for other four investigated farms were below 0.05 mg/kg). The obtained results indicate that particular attention should be paid to control of Pb residues in food, water and environment.

Prevalence of lead (pb) residues in kidney and liver of slaughtered pigs at Sabo-Wakama market of Akun development area of Nasarawa state, Nigeria.

The prevalence of Lead (Pb) in liver and kidney samples of slaughtered pigs at Sabo Wakama Market of Akun-Development Area of Nasarawa State was determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. A total of thirty number of samples were collected for analyses and all the samples were positive for Lead residues. The highest and lowest concentration of Lead (Pb) residue in liver and kidney were found to be among the age groups of 0-2 years and those at 3-5 years respectively. There was a significant difference (P< 0.05) in the concentration of Lead in liver and kidney samples of the different age groups of the slaughtered pigs. The mean Lead concentration in liver and kidney of all the age ranges is higher than the maximum permissible level of Lead (0.5 mg/kg) in edible offal of pig recommended by Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO, 2002). It is therefore obvious that the liver and kidney of the slaughtered pigs at Sabo Wakama Market of Akun-Development Area contain Lead residues. This finding needs an immediate attention of health regulatory authorities and the researchers as well. There is an urgent need of local database or risk assessment studies in local food animals to assess the potential risk to animals and humans from heavy metals residue.

Lead in the Blood of Dogs Living in Variously Contaminated Environment

Abstract The aim of the study was to evaluate the concentration of lead in blood of dogs from Polish urban polluted areas including the Lower Silesia Region (LSR; 102 dogs), KGHM Polish Copper Region (PCR; 102 dogs), and Upper Silesia Industrial Region (USIR; 102 dogs). Moreover, it was investigated whether age, height, gender, and weight influence blood lead concentrations in the dogs. The mean concentrations of lead in dogs from LSR, PCR, and USIR were 16.18 μg/L, 31.82 μg /L, and 32.53 μg /L, respectively. In the same age groups of dogs, the concentrations of lead were the smallest and significantly lower in LSR than those reported in PCR and USIR. Mean blood concentrations of lead demonstrated a decreasing tendency in regard to the height of the examined dogs - 30.00 μg /L (low dogs), 27.37 μg /L (medium dogs), and 25.12 μg /L (high dogs).These findings indicate that blood lead concentrations mainly depend on lead contamination of the dogs’ habitat. In all regions examined, lead concentrations significantly increased with the length of the dogs’ life. Height, weight, and gender had no significant effect on lead content.

An Antioxidant Marker, Aminolevulinic Acid Dehydratase, was Correlated with Bone Turnover Activity

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have indicated that lead may affect activities on bone cells, but the mechanism is not yet clear. Therefore, we conducted a study to investigate correlation of chronic low-concentration lead exposure with bone turnover activity (ratio of C-telopeptide (CTx) and Procollagen Type 1 Amino-terminal Propeptide (P1NP) (CTx/P1NP)) and antioxidant (aminolevulinic acid (ALA) dehydratase (ALAD)) in a workers community. METHODS: An observational study with cross-sectional design was carried out. Fifty two subjects from a workers community in Jakarta, Indonesia, had provided informed consents and undergone medical history, physical and laboratory examinations. Hair lead concentration was measured by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) method. Meanwhile, P1NP was measured by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and CTx was measured by Electro-chemiluminescence Immunoassay (ELICA) method. RESULTS: The mean hair lead concentration was 4.85 ppm. Based on Mayo Clinic reference, 28.85% of investigated subjects had hair lead concentration of ≥5 ppm. Hair lead concentration was not correlated with ALAD, CTx, P1NP concentrations or CTx/P1NP. ALAD concentration was significantly correlated with CTx/P1NP (p&lt;0.05; r=0.35).SUMMARY: ALAD concentration was correlated with CTx/P1NP ratio, indicating that the role of antioxidant was possibly caused by accumulated chronic low-concentration lead exposure, which was correlated with bone turnover activity. KEYWORDS: hair lead, ALAD, CTx, P1NP, osteoporosis, bone turnover

Risk Assessment of Exposure to Lead in Tap Water among Residents of Seri Kembangan, Selangor state, Malaysia

Introduction:A cross sectional study was conducted to estimate risk of exposure to lead via tap water ingestion pathway for the population of Seri Kembangan (SK).Methodology:By using purposive sampling method, 100 respondents who fulfilled the inclusive criteria were selected from different housing areas of SK based on geographical population distribution. Residents with filtration systems installed were excluded from the study. Questionnaires were administered to determine water consumption-related information and demographics. Two water samples (first-flushed and fully-flushed samples) were collected from kitchen tap of each household using HDPE bottles. A total of 200 water samples were collected and lead concentrations were determined using a Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (GFAAS).Results:Mean lead concentration in first-flushed samples was 3.041± SD 6.967µg/L and 1.064± SD 1.103µg/L for fully-flushed samples. Of the first-flushed samples, four (4) had exceeded the National Drinking Water Quality Standard (NDWQS) lead limit value of 10µg/L while none of the fully-flushed samples had lead concentration exceeded the limit. There was a significant difference between first-flushed samples and fully-flushed samples and flushing had elicited a significant change in lead concentration in the water (Z = -5.880, p<0.05). It was also found that lead concentration in both first-flushed and fully flushed samples was not significantly different across nine (9) areas of Seri Kembangan (p>0.05). Serdang Jaya was found to have the highest lead concentration in first-flushed water (mean= 10.44± SD 17.83µg/L) while Taman Universiti Indah had the highest lead concentration in fully-flushed water (mean=1.45± SD 1.83µg/L). Exposure assessment found that the mean chronic daily intake (CDI) was 0.028± SD 0.034µgday-1kg-1. None of the hazard quotient (HQ) value was found to be greater than 1.Conclusion:The overall quality of water supply in SK was satisfactory because most of the parameters tested in this study were within the range of permissible limit and only a few samples had exceeded the standard values for lead and pH. Non-carcinogenic risk attributed to ingestion of lead in SK tap water was found to be negligible.

HEAVY METALS DETERMINATION IN IMPORTED FROZEN MEAT

45 random samples of imported frozen meat were collected from Al-Gharbiah markets, Egypt. The collected samples were represented by Brazilian, Columbian and Indian meat (15 of each). The collected samples were examined for cadmium, lead and mercury concentrations on the basis of wet weight (mg/kg) by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The obtained results revealed that the mean concentrations of cadmium in the examined samples of imported frozen Brazilian, Columbian and Indian meats were 0.06 + 0.01 mg/kg; 0.14 + 0.01 mg/kg and 0.19 + 0.01 mg/kg, respectively, while the mean concentrations of lead in the examined samples of imported frozen Brazilian, Columbian and Indian meats were 0.35 + 0.02, mg/kg; 0.41 + 0.02 mg/kg and 0.52 + 0.03 mg/kg, respectively , concerning to mercury it could not be detected in the examined samples of imported frozen Brazilian meat, while the mean concentrations of mercury in the examined samples of imported frozen Columbian and Indian meats were 0.20 + 0.01 mg/kg and 0.37 + 0.02 mg/kg, respectively. Comparing the results to the maximum permissible limits stated by the Egyptian Organization of Standardization EOS (2005), found thatthe examined imported frozen Indian meat contained the highest residual concentration of heavy metals (cadmium, lead and mercury) followed by Columbian and Brazilian.