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Assessment of Carcinogenic and Non-carcinogenic Risk of Exposure to Metals via Consumption of Coffee, Tea, and Herbal Tea in Iranians

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Abstract

In the current study, we assessed health risk posed to Iranian consumers through exposure to metals via oral consumption of coffee, tea, and herbal tea of various trademarks collected from Iran market. Level of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Ni, and Pb in 243 samples was quantified by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The metal levels in coffee samples from different trademarks of a specific country had statistically similar levels of metals; however, metal levels differed significantly among brand names form different countries. Metal levels in tea samples differed significantly between domestic and imported products, while different trademarks of similar countries did not show significant variations in this respect. Metal level in herbal tea samples did not show significant variations among different trademarks. Nevertheless, it should be highlighted that mean concentrations of metals statistically differed among different herbal tea samples. Deterministic hazard quotients (HQs) were <1.0 for all non-carcinogenic metals and total hazard index (HI) values indicated no risk; however, probabilistic assessment calculated HI values >1. In both deterministic and probabilistic scenarios, carcinogenic metals As and Ni had an estimated incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) of medium level while that of Pb indicated no cancer risk. Sensitivity analysis showed that the concentration of metals had the most significant effect on non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to Vice chancellor for research, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran, for financial support and appreciate the assistance of Clinical Research Development Unit, Imam Reza Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran (No. 981682). Also, Majid Azizi was partially supported by a grant from Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (No. FUM-40949).

Funding

This work was supported by the Clinical Research Development Unit, Imam Reza Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran (project No. 981682 and ethics approval No. IR.MUMS.MEDICAL.REC.1399.220).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

    Seyedeh Faezeh Taghizadeh, Majid Azizi & Giti Hassanpourfard

  2. Pharmaceutical Research Center, Pharmaceutical Technology Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

    Seyedeh Faezeh Taghizadeh & Gholamreza Karimi

  3. International UNESCO Center for Health-Related Basic Sciences and Human Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, P. O. Box, Mashhad, 1365-91775, Iran

    Ramin Rezaee

  4. Applied Biomedical Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

    Ramin Rezaee

  5. Department of Pharmacodynamics and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

    Gholamreza Karimi

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  1. Seyedeh Faezeh Taghizadeh
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Correspondence to Ramin Rezaee or Gholamreza Karimi.

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Taghizadeh, S.F., Azizi, M., Hassanpourfard, G. et al. Assessment of Carcinogenic and Non-carcinogenic Risk of Exposure to Metals via Consumption of Coffee, Tea, and Herbal Tea in Iranians. Biol Trace Elem Res 201, 1520–1537 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-022-03239-x

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