{"title":"Potential toxic elements in breakfast cereals in the Kurdistan region, Iraq.","authors":"Hiran Sarwar Karim, Hemn Sleman Ali, Dyar Hassan Hama Kawani","doi":"10.1080/19393210.2025.2457608","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Potential toxic elements are substances that can accumulate in foodstuffs and pose risks to human health even at low levels, or when their levels exceed safety thresholds. A total of 78 breakfast cereals were purchased from the Kurdistan region, Iraq. Their PTE levels were analysed and associated health risks were calculated. The levels of As, Cd, Pb, Cu and Cr ranged from 0.055 ± 0.02-0.12 ± 0.05 mg/kg, 0.024 ± 0.009-0.08 ± 0.03 mg/kg, 0.015 ± 0.003-0.12 ± 0.06 mg/kg, 1.93 ± 0.5-3.9 ± 0.1 mg/kg and 0.36 ± 0.02-0.84 ± 0.1 mg/kg, respectively. The PTE levels were mostly below the Codex Alimentarius maximum limits, except in 11 samples, which exceeded the limits for As, Cd and Pb. Risk assessment data of HQ and HI (below 1) showed no non-carcinogenic health risks for both adults and children. However, due to the high levels of As, Cd and Pb in some samples, continuous monitoring is advisable to ensure the constant quality of these products.</p>","PeriodicalId":12286,"journal":{"name":"Food additives & contaminants. Part B, Surveillance","volume":" ","pages":"1-9"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5000,"publicationDate":"2025-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Food additives & contaminants. Part B, Surveillance","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19393210.2025.2457608","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"CHEMISTRY, APPLIED","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Potential toxic elements are substances that can accumulate in foodstuffs and pose risks to human health even at low levels, or when their levels exceed safety thresholds. A total of 78 breakfast cereals were purchased from the Kurdistan region, Iraq. Their PTE levels were analysed and associated health risks were calculated. The levels of As, Cd, Pb, Cu and Cr ranged from 0.055 ± 0.02-0.12 ± 0.05 mg/kg, 0.024 ± 0.009-0.08 ± 0.03 mg/kg, 0.015 ± 0.003-0.12 ± 0.06 mg/kg, 1.93 ± 0.5-3.9 ± 0.1 mg/kg and 0.36 ± 0.02-0.84 ± 0.1 mg/kg, respectively. The PTE levels were mostly below the Codex Alimentarius maximum limits, except in 11 samples, which exceeded the limits for As, Cd and Pb. Risk assessment data of HQ and HI (below 1) showed no non-carcinogenic health risks for both adults and children. However, due to the high levels of As, Cd and Pb in some samples, continuous monitoring is advisable to ensure the constant quality of these products.
期刊介绍:
Food Additives & Contaminants: Part B publishes surveillance data indicating the presence and levels of occurrence of designated food additives, residues and contaminants in foods, food supplements and animal feed. Data using validated methods must meet stipulated quality standards to be acceptable and must be presented in a prescribed format for subsequent data-handling.
Food Additives & Contaminants: Part B restricts its scope to include certain classes of food additives, residues and contaminants. This is based on a goal of covering those areas where there is a need to record surveillance data for the purposes of exposure and risk assessment.
The scope is initially restricted to:
Additives - food colours, artificial sweeteners, and preservatives;
Residues – veterinary drug and pesticide residues;
Contaminants – metals, mycotoxins, phycotoxins, plant toxins, nitrate/nitrite, PCDDs/PCFDs, PCBs, PAHs, acrylamide, 3-MPCD and contaminants derived from food packaging.
Readership: The readership includes scientists involved in all aspects of food safety and quality and particularly those involved in monitoring human exposure to chemicals from the diet.
Papers reporting surveillance data in areas other than the above should be submitted to Part A . The scope of Part B will be expanded from time-to-time to ensure inclusion of new areas of concern.