Journal of Food Quality and Hazards Control

en Estimation of Heavy Metals in Milk of Different Areas of Sialkot (Pakistan) and Its Possible Health Impact on Consumer تخصصي Special Original article Original article <div style="text-align: justify;">Background: Milk is a complete food for human health, but consuming contaminated milk can pose severe health risks to consumers. Therefore, metal level assessment in milk provides complete knowledge to both environmental management policy makers and consumers. Methods: In the present study, 50 samples of mixed cow and buffalo milk were collected in 2018 from Sialkot region of Punjab province, Pakistan. Cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) were determined in these milk samples by using flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry in urban areas of Sialkot, Punjab, Pakistan. Results: The ranges and mean levels (in bracket) of heavy metals in milk samples are as follows: Cd: 0.009-0.047 (0.028); Co: 0.026-0.144 (0.094); Cr: 0.007-0.098 (0.040); Cu: 0.106-1.273 (0.454); Ni: 0.015-0.082 (0.052); Pb: 0.014-0.132 (0.061); and Zn: 1.457-6.908 (3.781) µg/g. Mean levels of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn levels exceeded the maximum limits set by International Dairy Federation, whereas, Cr level was bellow the recommended permissible limit. Possible sources of metals in milk include animal feed and adulterants. The highest Estimated Daily Intake was noted for Zn, Cd, and Cu. Risk assessment suggested relatively greater adverse effects for children compared to adults. Target Hazard Quotient revealed a decreasing trend among the consumer as follows: Cd>Pb>Cr>Zn>Cu>Ni>Co. Cd and Pb were the major contributors in Hazard Index. Moreover, The Hazard Index for children is above one, indicating higher vulnerability compared to adults. Conclusion: It is concluded that milk handling techniques and feed quality monitoring should be carefully considered to ensure consumer health safety. DOI: 10.18502/jfqhc.12.3.19785</div> Food Contamination, Metals, Heavy, Risk Assessment, Pakistan 210 217 http://jfqhc.ssu.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1813-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 M.U. Farooq 0009-0000-4824-7561 No Nano Science and Technology Department, National Center of Physics, Islamabad, Pakistan M. Saleem No Department of Pathology, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of North Dakota, USA C.K. Yap No Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia M. Zaib No School of Chemistry, Monash University, Australia Q.F. Khan No Department of Microbiology, Ikram-ul-Haq Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Government College University, Lahore, Pakistan M.S. Ibrahim No Institute of Food and Nutritional Sciences PMAS, Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan H.A. Sakandar hafizarbabsakandar@gmail.com 0000-0003-2363-6864 Yes Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Medical Sciences, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, School of Human Nutrition, Macdonald Campus of McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, H9X 3V9, Canada