Enb Ali

Health risk assessment of lead in dairy products from various environments in Egypt

Mahmoud Abou Donia, Assem Abou-Arab, Ali Enb

ABSTRACT. Milk and dairy products are nutritious foods that are beneficial to human health at all life stages and provide essential nutrients required by the body. However, despite their importance, these products are susceptible to contamination by toxic environmental pollutants, such as lead (Pb), originating from surrounding environmental sources. This study aimed to evaluate the potential health risks associated with Pb exposure in adults and children through the consumption of contaminated milk and dairy products from various locations in Egypt using estimated daily intake, target hazard quotient, and excess cancer risk metrics. The data indicated that the daily intake (DI) of Pb in the raw milk samples ranged from 131.6 to 557.9 µg in industrial areas, 107.7 to 456.6 µg in traffic areas, and 35.8 to 151.7 µg in rural areas. In contrast, the DI of Pb in sterilised milk ranged from 19.3 to 82.0 µg in industrial areas, 17.9 to 75.7 µg in traffic areas, and 16.0 to 67.8 µg in rural areas. For processed cheese, values ranging from 2.0 to 2.4, 2.5 to 2.9, and 2.4 to 2.8 µg were found across these areas, respectively. The mean DI values of Pb were 70.1, 59.7, and 11.5 µg for Domiati cheese samples and 112.2, 103.7, and 481.6 µg for Ras cheese from industrial, traffic, and rural areas, respectively. The measured health risk indices showed no significant risks associated with the consumption of the dairy products examined, except for raw milk, particularly when consumed in large quantities from industrial and traffic areas. Purchasing raw milk from contaminated industrial or traffic zones should be avoided to limit its consumption, particularly for children.

Keywords: dairy products; lead; risk assessment.

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Lead Levels in Milk and Its Products From Various Environments in Egypt

Assem Abou-Arab, Mahmoud Abou Donia, Ali Enb

ABSTRACT. Milk and its products are considered healthy due to their content of key nutritional elements. Despite their essential role in the human diet, they may be susceptible to contamination with many chemical pollutants from the surrounding environment, most notably heavy metals such as lead, which is considered toxic to consumers. This study evaluated lead concentrations in milk and dairy product samples collected from various Egyptian environments. The results showed significant differences (p < 0.05) in Pb concentrations in the samples collected from different environments in Egypt (industrial, traffic and rural). The average lead content in raw cow’s milk, sterilised milk, Domiati cheese, Ras cheese, processed cheese and yoghurt samples from industrial areas were 2.23, 0.33, 3.19, 5.10, 0.11 and 0.09 mg/kg, respectively. In traffic areas, lead concentrations were 1.83, 0.30, 2.72, 4.72, 0.13 and 0.09, and in rural areas, they were 0.61, 0.27, 1.52, 3.13, 0.13 and 0.09. The data showed that Pb levels in dairy product samples collected from industrial areas are very high compared with those collected from traffic areas. By contrast, the lowest Pb concentrations were recorded in samples from rural areas. It is recommended that lead levels in different foods, especially milk and its products, be evaluated at regular intervals. Keywords: dairy products; environments; lead; milk.

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