Heavy metals in raw cow and ewe milk from north-east Iran.
The presence of toxic metals in milk may create significant health problems for the population. In this study, 1440 raw cow and ewe milk samples from 18 townships in north-east Iran were analysed in four different seasons. Lead, cadmium and mercury levels were determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Mean concentration of lead, cadmium and mercury in cow milk samples was 12.9 ± 6.0, 0.3 ± 0.3 and 3.1 ± 0.3 ng g⁻¹, respectively, and in ewe milk samples, these mean values were 14.9 ± 7.8, 1.6 ± 1.2 and 3.1 ± 0.3 ng g⁻¹, respectively. Statistical analyses showed that lead and cadmium concentrations in ewe milk were significantly higher than in cow milk. Concentrations of these metals in ewe milk varied significantly with different seasons. As the concentrations did not exceed the safety limits, they could not pose a serious danger to public health.
a Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine , Urmia University , Urmia , Iran.
Vahid
V
Najarnezhad
Masoome
M
Akbarabadi
D000818:Animals; D002104:Cadmium / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D002417:Cattle; D004032:Diet / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000208:ethnology; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D005506:Food Contamination; D005513:Food Inspection; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006291:Health Policy; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D007854:Lead / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D057230:Limit of Detection; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D008892:Milk / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000592:standards; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D034561:Sheep, Domestic; D062211:Spatio-Temporal Analysis; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic
D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D002104:Cadmium; D007854:Lead; D008628:Mercury
Iran; cadmium; cow; ewe; heavy metal; lead; mercury; milk; season