Quantification and human health risk assessment of cadmium and lead in wheat flour on the Iranian market by atomic absorption spectrometry

Abstract

Wheat flour is a serious food supply source that is used worldwide, in different kinds of bread. Therefore, the presence of cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) in wheat flour represents a serious health risk in food chain. Among trace metals, Cd and Pb are considered poisonous substances in the world. In this study, concentration of cadmium and lead in wheat flour was determined by use of atomic absorption spectrophotometric in Iran. Briefly, 124 wheat flour samples consist of three kinds of wheat flour with extraction rate of 88%, 82% and 77% were randomly collected from 124 retailers in Alborz and Tehran Province. The limit of detection (LOD) value was 1.38 μg kg-1 for Pb and 0.1 μg kg-1 for Cd with relative ratio (RR) of 92.9% and 96.1% for Pb and Cd, respectively. The mean concentrations of cadmium and lead were detected as Pb (0.059 ± 0.048 mg/kg) and Cd (0.0111 ± 0.012 mg/kg). The levels of heavy metals in wheat flour samples were under the acceptable limits (0.03 mg/kg for Cd and 0.15 for Pb mg/kg) set by the Iranian National Standard Organization. The carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk assessment of Oral exposure to cadmium and lead in adult consumers were assessed. Hazard Quotient (HQ) for non-carcinogenic risks were computed as 0.08 and 0.1 for cadmium and lead, respectively. Carcinogenic health risk for lead was calculated as 2.3 × 10-6. However, considering the toxic effects of lead and cadmium, in life-time exposure of wheat flour consumers, a continuous monitoring of different kinds of wheat flour is needed.

Keywords

• Atomic absorption spectroscopy
• Heavy metals
• Health risk
• Wheat flour