Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Heavy Metals in Raw Milk and Dietary Exposure Assessment in the Vicinity of Leather-Processing Plants

  • Published:
Biological Trace Element Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the contamination levels of arsenic (As), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), and cadmium (Cd) in raw milk and the subsequent potential health risk to local consumers close to leather-processing plants in China. The As and Pb concentrations in milk from contaminated areas were 0.43 ± 0.21 and 2.86 ± 0.96 μg/L, respectively, which were significantly higher than in milk from unpolluted farm, with values of 0.20 ± 0.05 and 2.32 ± 0.78 μg/L, respectively. The Cr and Cd levels in milk from contaminated areas were 1.21 ± 1.57 and 0.15 ± 0.04 μg/L, respectively, which were slightly higher than in milk from unpolluted farm, with values of 0.87 ± 0.61 and 0.13 ± 0.04 μg/L, respectively, (P > 0.05). Target hazard quotient (THQ) and hazard index (HI) values for As, Pb, Cr, and Cd from milk consumption were calculated for individuals aged 3 to 69. The THQ followed a descending order of As > Pb > Cr > Cd, with values of 0.0066–0.0441, 0.0033–0.0220, 0.0019–0.0124, and 0.0007–0.0046, respectively. The HI values (0.0124–0.0832) were far below the threshold of 1.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Hashemi M, Sadeghi A, Saghi M et al (2019) Health risk assessment for human exposure to trace metals and arsenic via consumption of hen egg collected from largest poultry industry in Iran. Biol Trace Elem Res 188:485–493. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-018-1437-4

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. EFSA (2010) Scientific opinion on lead in food. Eur Food Saf Auth 8. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2010.1570

  3. EFSA (2014) Scientific opinion on the risks to public health related to the presence of chromium in food and drinking water. EFSA J 12. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2014.3595

  4. JECFA (2011) Safety evaluation of certain food additives and contaminants, Seventy-third meeting of the Joint FAO/ WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, Cadmium. Geneva, Switzerland

  5. JECFA (2011) Safety evaluation of certain contaminants in food. Seventy-second meeting of the Joint FAO/ WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, Arsenic, Geneva, Switzerland

  6. ATSDR (2020) The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry’s 2019 substance priority list. Atlanta, America. https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/spl/. Accessed 6 Nov 2020

  7. Guerreiro TM, de Oliveira DN, Melo CFOR et al (2018) Evaluating the effects of the adulterants in milk using direct-infusion high-resolution mass spectrometry. Food Res Int 108:498–504. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2018.03.079

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Norouzirad R, González-Montaña JR, Martínez-Pastor F et al (2018) Lead and cadmium levels in raw bovine milk and dietary risk assessment in areas near petroleum extraction industries. Sci Total Environ 635:308–314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.04.138

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. National Health and Family Planning Commission, National Medical Products Administration of China (2017) Limits of contaminants in food. GB 2762-2017. https://www.cfsa.net.cn/Standard.aspx. Accessed 6 Nov 2020

  10. González-Montaña JR, Senís E, Gutiérrez A, Prieto F (2012) Cadmium and lead in bovine milk in the mining area of the Caudal River (Spain). Environ Monit Assess 184:4029–4034. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-011-2241-1

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. McCawley P (1991) Book reviews. Econ Anal Policy 21:229–231. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0313-5926(91)50021-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. He ZL, Yang XE, Stoffella PJ (2005) Trace elements in agroecosystems and impacts on the environment. J Trace Elem Med Biol 19:125–140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtemb.2005.02.010

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Shengbang Z, Boxi H (2015) Heavy metal element pollution of cultivated vegetables in leather industrial zone by ICP-AES with Nimerlo Composite Index. 36:221–225. https://doi.org/10.7506/spkx1002-6630-201504044

  14. Afzal M, Shabir G, Iqbal S et al (2014) Assessment of heavy metal contamination in soil and groundwater at leather industrial area of Kasur, Pakistan. Clean - Soil, Air, Water 42:1133–1139. https://doi.org/10.1002/clen.201100715

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. National Burea of Statistics of China (2002) National data. http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjsj/. Accessed 6 Nov 2020

  16. Zhou X, Qu X, Zhao S et al (2017) Analysis of 22 elements in milk, feed, and water of dairy cow, goat, and buffalo from different regions of China. Biol Trace Elem Res 176:120–129. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-016-0819-8

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Zhou X, Zheng N, Su C et al (2019) Relationships between Pb, As, Cr, and Cd in individual cows’ milk and milk composition and heavy metal contents in water, silage, and soil. Environ Pollut 255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2019.113322

  18. International Programme on Chemical Safety (2009) Principles and methods for the risk assessment of chemicals in food. Environ Heal Criteria 240:1–34

    Google Scholar 

  19. General Adminastration of Sport of China (2015) National health monitoring bulletin of China in 2014. http://www.sport.gov.cn/n16/n1077/n1422/7331093.html. Accessed 6 Nov 2020

  20. Chinese Society of Nutrition (2016) Chinese dietary guidelines 2016. People’s Medical Publishing House, Beijing, China

    Google Scholar 

  21. Khan K, Khan H, Lu Y et al (2014) Evaluation of toxicological risk of foodstuffs contaminated with heavy metals in Swat, Pakistan. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 108:224–232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2014.05.014

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Castro–González NP, Calderón–Sánchez F, Pérez–Sato M et al (2019) Health risk due to chronic heavy metal consumption via cow’s milk produced in Puebla, Mexico, in irrigated wastewater areas. Food Addit Contam Part B Surveill 12:38–44. https://doi.org/10.1080/19393210.2018.1520742

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. United States Environmental Protection Agency (1998) Chromium (VI). Washington, DC. https://www.epa.gov. Accessed 6 Nov 2020

  24. United States Environmental Protection Agency (1989) Cadmium. Washington, DC. https://www.epa.gov. Accessed 6 Nov 2020

  25. United States Environmental Protection Agency (1995) Mercury. Washington, DC. https://www.epa.gov. Accessed 6 Nov 2020

  26. United States Environmental Protection Agency (1991) Arsenic (inorganic). Washington, DC. https://www.epa.gov. Accessed 6 Nov 2020

  27. Castro Gonzalez NP, Moreno-Rojas R, Calderón Sánchez F et al (2017) Assessment risk to children’s health due to consumption of cow’s milk in polluted areas in Puebla and Tlaxcala, Mexico. Food Addit Contam Part B Surveill 10:200–207. https://doi.org/10.1080/19393210.2017.1316320

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Codex Alimentarius Commission (2019) General standard for contaminants and toxins in food and feed. CXS193-1995 amended in 2019, PP1–66. http://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/codex-texts/list-standards/en/. Accessed 6 Nov 2020

  29. European Commission (2006) Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006 of 19 December 2006 setting maximum levels for certain contaminants in foodstuffs. Off J Eur Union L364:1–35

    Google Scholar 

  30. Ran J, Wang D, Wang C et al (2016) Heavy metal contents, distribution, and prediction in a regional soil-wheat system. Sci Total Environ 544:422–431. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.11.105

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Simsek O, Gültekin R, Öksüz O, Kurultay S (2000) The effect of environmental pollution on the heavy metal content of raw milk. Nahrung – Food 44:360–363. https://doi.org/10.1002/1521-3803(20001001)44:5<360::AID-FOOD360>3.0.CO;2-G

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Singh N, Pandey V, Misra J et al (1997) Atmospheric lead pollution from vehicular emissions - measurements in plants, soil and milk samples. Environ Monit Assess 45:9–19. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005700629967

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Swarup D, Patra RC, Naresh R et al (2005) Blood lead levels in lactating cows reared around polluted localities; transfer of lead into milk. Sci Total Environ 349:67–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2004.12.079

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Tahir M, Iqbal M, Abbas M et al (2017) Comparative study of heavy metals distribution in soil, forage, blood and milk. Acta Ecol Sin 37:207–212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chnaes.2016.10.007

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Singh A, Sharma RK, Agrawal M, Marshall FM (2010) Health risk assessment of heavy metals via dietary intake of foodstuffs from the wastewater irrigated site of a dry tropical area of India. Food Chem Toxicol 48:611–619. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2009.11.041

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Bakary I, Yao KM, Etchian OA et al (2015) Zinc, copper, cadmium, and lead concentrations in water, sediment, and Anadara senilis in a tropical estuary. Environ Monit Assess 187:1–11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-015-4976-6

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Gabryszuk M, Słoniewski K, Sakowski T (2008) Macro- and microelements in milk and hair of cows from conventional vs. organic farms. Anim Sci Pap Reports 26:199–209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2007.01.017

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Zhou X (2019) Contamination of heavy metals in raw cow milk and the relationships between heavy metals in milk with heavy metals in water, silage and soil. Dissertation, University of Liège

  39. Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People’s Republic of China (2018) Soil environmental quality risk control standard for soil contamination of agricultural land. GB 15618-2018. http://www.mee.gov.cn/ywgz/fgbz/bz/bzwb/trhj/201807/t20180703_446029.shtml. Accessed 6 Nov 2020

  40. Ministry of Health of the People’s Republic of China, Standardization administration (2006) GB5749-2006. http://openstd.samr.gov.cn/bzgk/gb/index. Accessed 6 Nov 2020

  41. General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People’s Republic of China, Standardization administration (2017) Hygienical standard for feeds. GB 13078-2017. http://openstd.samr.gov.cn/bzgk/gb/index. Accessed 6 Nov 2020

  42. Zhou X, Qu X, Zheng N et al (2019) Large scale study of the within and between spatial variability of lead, arsenic, and cadmium contamination of cow milk in China. Sci Total Environ 650:3054–3061. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.09.094

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  43. Koyuncu M, Alwazeer D (2019) Determination of trace elements, heavy metals, and antimony in polyethylene terephthalate–bottled local raw cow milk of Iğdır region in Turkey. Environ Monit Assess 191:666. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-019-7851-z

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  44. Erdogan S, Celik S, Erdogan Z (2004) Comparison of selected toxic elements in cow serum and milk samples from industrial and rural regions. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 72:931–936. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-004-0333-0

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. Castro-González NP, Calderón-Sánchez F, Castro de Jesús J et al (2018) Heavy metals in cow’s milk and cheese produced in areas irrigated with waste water in Puebla, Mexico. Food Addit Contam Part B Surveill 11:33–36. https://doi.org/10.1080/19393210.2017.1397060

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  46. Arianejad M, Alizadeh M, Bahrami A, Arefhoseini SR (2015) Levels of some heavy metals in raw cow’s milk from selected milk production sites in Iran: is there any health concern? Health Promot Perspect 5:176–182. https://doi.org/10.15171/hpp.2015.021

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  47. Sobhanardakani S (2018) Human health risk assessment of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn through consumption of raw and pasteurized cow’s milk. Iran J Public Health 47:1172–1180

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  48. Bilandžić N, Sedak M, Čalopek B et al (2016) Lead concentrations in raw cow and goat milk collected in rural areas of Croatia from 2010 to 2014. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 96:645–649. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-016-1749-z

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  49. Meshref AMS, Moselhy WA, Hassan NEHY (2014) Heavy metals and trace elements levels in milk and milk products. J Food Meas Charact 8:381–388. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11694-014-9203-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  50. Sola-Larrañaga C, Navarro-Blasco I (2009) Chemometric analysis of minerals and trace elements in raw cow milk from the community of Navarra, Spain. Food Chem 112:189–196. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2008.05.062

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  51. Najarnezhad V, Akbarabadi M (2013) Heavy metals in raw cow and ewe milk from north-east Iran. Food Addit Contam Part B Surveill 6:158–162. https://doi.org/10.1080/19393210.2013.777799

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  52. Rubio MR, Sigrist ME, Encinas T et al (1998) Cadmium and lead levels in cow’s milk from a milking region in Santa Fe, Argentine. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 60:164–167. https://doi.org/10.1007/s001289900605

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  53. Khan N, Jeong IS, Hwang IM et al (2014) Analysis of minor and trace elements in milk and yogurts by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Food Chem 147:220–224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2013.09.147

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

This research was supported by the Risk Assessment of Environmental Pollutants in Raw Milk project (GJFP2019026), the Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Program (ASTIP-IAS12), and the Modern Agro-Industry Technology Research System of the PR China (CARS-36).

Author information

Author notes

  1. Chuanyou Su and Huimin Liu contributed equally to the work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ministry of Agriculture-Laboratory of Quality and Safety Risk Assessment for Dairy Products (Beijing), Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, China

    Chuanyou Su, Huimin Liu, Xuewei Zhou, Yanan Gao, Nan Zheng & Jiaqi Wang

  2. College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agriculture University, Beijing, 100193, China

    Chuanyou Su & Hongjian Yang

  3. Tianjin Mengde Group Co., Ltd., Tianjin, 300400, China

    Xueyin Qu

Authors
  1. Chuanyou Su
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Huimin Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Xueyin Qu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Xuewei Zhou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Yanan Gao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Hongjian Yang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Nan Zheng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Jiaqi Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Xueyin Qu, Nan Zheng, and Jiaqi Wang conceived and designed the experiments; Chuanyou Su, Xueyin Qu, and Xuewei Zhou performed the experiments; Chuanyou Su and Huimin Liu analyzed the data and wrote the main text; Chuanyou Su, Yanan Gao, Huimin Liu, and Hongjian Yang revised the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jiaqi Wang.

Ethics declarations

All procedures performed in this study involving animals were in accordance with the ethical standards of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. An informed consent was obtained from the farms owners.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Su, C., Liu, H., Qu, X. et al. Heavy Metals in Raw Milk and Dietary Exposure Assessment in the Vicinity of Leather-Processing Plants. Biol Trace Elem Res 199, 3303–3311 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-020-02470-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-020-02470-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation