The Occurrence, Pathways, and Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Raw Milk from Industrial Areas in China
Chuanyou Su,
Yanan Gao,
Xueyin Qu,
Xuewei Zhou,
Xue Yang,
Shengnan Huang,
Lei Han,
Nan Zheng,
Jiaqi Wang
Affiliations
Chuanyou Su
Milk and Dairy Product Inspection Center of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Animal Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
Yanan Gao
Milk and Dairy Product Inspection Center of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Animal Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
Xueyin Qu
Tianjin Mengde Group Co., Ltd., Tianjin 300400, China
Xuewei Zhou
Milk and Dairy Product Inspection Center of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Animal Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
Xue Yang
Milk and Dairy Product Inspection Center of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Animal Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
Shengnan Huang
Milk and Dairy Product Inspection Center of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Animal Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
Lei Han
Milk and Dairy Product Inspection Center of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Animal Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
Nan Zheng
Milk and Dairy Product Inspection Center of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Animal Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
Jiaqi Wang
Milk and Dairy Product Inspection Center of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Animal Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
This study evaluated chromium (Cr), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) contamination in raw milk from industrial areas in China, identified the possible pathways of heavy metals from the environment to raw milk, and made a risk assessment of the consumption of heavy metals from milk consumption. The Cr, As, Cd, and Pb concentrations in raw milk, water and silage were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The Cr and As in soil were analyzed by flame atomic absorption spectrometry and atomic fluorescence spectrometry, respectively. Cd and Pb in soil were determined by a Graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The Cr and As concentrations in milk from industrial areas were 2.41 ± 2.12 and 0.44 ± 0.31 μg/kg, respectively, which were significantly higher (p < 0.01) than those from non-industrial areas, which had levels of 1.10 ± 0.15 and 0.25 ± 0.09 μg/kg, respectively. Chromium was mainly transferred through the soil-silage-milk pathway, As was transferred through the water-silage-milk pathway, while Cd was mainly transferred through the soil (water)-silage-milk pathway. The contributions of each metal to the overall hazard index (HI) followed a descending order of As, Cr, Pb, and Cd, with values of 46.64%, 25.54%, 24.30%, and 3.52%, respectively. Children were at higher risk than adults.
