REMOVED: Content of selected nutrients and potential contaminants in prenatal multivitamins and minerals: an observational study

Abstract

This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies/article-withdrawal). This article has been removed at the request of the Editor-in-Chief and the authors. It was brought to the attention of the Editor-in-Chief and authors that there were errors regarding the interpretation of the levels of heavy metals within the prenatal vitamins as referenced in the paper. The original article stated that some prenatal vitamins contained lead, arsenic, and/or cadmium at higher levels than “USP Purity Limits.” However, upon investigation, it was determined that USP limits exist for elemental contaminants in the final product (permissible daily exposure) and each component when preparing the final product (individual component limits). When correctly applying the limits for permissible daily exposure to the final product, the concentrations of lead, arsenic, and cadmium found in the study were all well below USP’s guidelines for elemental contaminants in dietary supplements. The original paper also included data regarding iodine and choline and no major concerns have been identified with the data reported on these nutrients in the above-referenced study. The Editor-in-Chief will consider a new submission by the authors focusing on this aspect which will be subject to the usual rigorous peer-review standard. The authors would like to apologize for any inconvenience caused to the readers.