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Heavy Metal Environmental Contaminants in Food

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2021) | Viewed by 19315

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Dr. Joanna Łuczyńska

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Faculty of Food Sciences, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, ul. Plac Cieszyński 1, 10726 Olsztyn, Poland
Interests: bioaccumulation; biomarkers; environmental health indicators; freshwater fish; marine fish; food safety; heavy metals in food; trace elements; fatty acids; macroelements; microelements; lipid quality indices; risk assessment; public health
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Dr. Marek Jan Łuczyński

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Department of Ichthyology, Hydrobiology and Ecology of Waters, The Stanisław Sakowicz Inland Fisheries Institute in Olsztyn, ul. M. Oczapowskiego 10, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
Interests: heavy metals; biomarkers; food safety; fish feeding; larviculture; genome manipulation; fatty acids; RAS
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Dr. Magdalena Senze

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Department of Limnology and Fishery, Institute of Animal Breeding, Faculty of Biology and Animal Science, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, 50-375 Wrocław, Poland
Interests: bioaccumulation; water quality; aquatic plants; hydrochemistry; heavy metals in food chain; environmental pollution; toxicology; nanotoxicology; freshwater fish treatment
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Dr. Monika Kowalska-Góralska

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Department of Limnology and Fishery, Institute of Animal Breeding, Faculty of Biology and Animal Science, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, 50-375 Wrocław, Poland
Interests: bioaccumulation; water quality; heavy metals in food chain; environmental pollution; toxicology; nanotoxicology; freshwater fish treatment
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Special Issue Information

Heavy and semi-metals are toxic to organisms at concentrations above the critical threshold; however, some of them at lower concentrations such as copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe) and selenium (Se) are essential for metabolic processes. In water, heavy metals are first absorbed by phytoplankton, bacteria, fungi and other small organisms, which later become fish food and finally enter the human body with the eaten fish. It is worth realizing how important the processes of bioaccumulation and biomagnification of heavy metals and their influence on food products are. Water and soil and their contamination are equally important. Contaminants occurring there penetrate plants, which are food for humans and animals. Consequently, they become a source of animal protein for humans. Water, soil, plants and animals can all contribute to the over-regulated supply of heavy metals. Rarely do we really pay attention to the place of origin of a product, and those who deal with this topic know how important it is. It is worth knowing the state of metal contamination of numerous food products from different parts of the world. It is important to know when particularly toxic metals may be present in the products you consume.

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) focuses on the current state of knowledge on the links risk of contaminating food with heavy metals and understanding their pathways along the food chain at the end of which human stands.

New research papers, reviews, case reports, and conference papers are welcome to this issue.

Here are some examples of topics that could be addressed in this Special Issue:

Indices of food quality;
Different heavy metals in food.;
Human health risk assessment;
Nanotoxicology;
Food chain.
Food safety

Dr. Joanna Łuczyńska
Dr. Marek Jan Łuczyński
Dr. Magdalena Senze
Dr. Monika Kowalska-Góralska
Guest Editors

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Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Related Special Issue

2nd Edition of Heavy Metal Environmental Contaminants in Food in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (4 articles)

Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 360 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of Fish Quality Based on the Content of Heavy Metals

by Joanna Łuczyńska, Renata Pietrzak-Fiećko, Aleksandra Purkiewicz and Marek Jan Łuczyński

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(4), 2307; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19042307 - 17 Feb 2022

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2706

Abstract

The aim of this study was to estimate the fish quality in terms of the Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn contents. The research material was the muscle tissue of the fish crucian carp (Carassius carassius Linnaeus, 1758), flounder (Platichthys flesus Linnaeus, 1758), Gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata Linnaeus, 1758), mackerel (Scomber scombrus Linnaeus, 1758), Blue grenadier (Macruronus novaezelandiae Hector, 1871), rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum, 1792), tench (Tinca tinca Linnaeus, 1758), tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus Linnaeus, 1758), Walleye pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus Pallas, 1814) and perch (Perca fluviatilis Linnaeus, 1758.). Heavy metals were determined with the atomic absorption spectrometry method (AAS). Significantly high concentrations of zinc (19.52 mg/kg wet weight), copper (0.77 mg/kg) and iron (6.95 mg/kg) were found in the muscles of crucian carp (p < 0.05) compared to the other fish studied, whereas Walleye pollock had a higher content of manganese (0.266 mg/kg) (p < 0.05). All studied fish species do not pose a threat to humans from these four metals. This was indicated by quality indexes (THQ and HI) whose values were below one. The values of these metals also did not exceed the maximum allowable concentrations established by the FAO (1983), but monitoring both the aquatic environment and the fish living there is necessary, for example, for the time-changing abiotic and biotic factors that can cause an increase in metals in the organs of fish. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heavy Metal Environmental Contaminants in Food)

17 pages, 19209 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cadmium Removal from Giant Squid (Dosidicus gigas) Hydrolysate in Fixed-Bed Columns Packed with Iminodiacetic Resin: Tools for Scaling up the Process

by Carolina Calderón, Marcela Levío-Raimán and M. Cristina Diez

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(1), 442; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19010442 - 31 Dec 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1605

Abstract

Giant squid hydrolysate (GSH) elaborated from different batches from a fishing company was evaluated for cadmium removal. Fixed-bed column packed with iminodiacetic resin as adsorbent was used. GSH solution at different cadmium concentrations were fed in the fixed-bed column and breakthrough curves were evaluated. A high degree of metal removal from the solution was achieved and the saturation point (C_e/C₀ ≤ 0.8) was achieved more quickly at higher concentrations of cadmium. The maximum capacity of adsorption (q₀) was obtained using the Thomas model, where 1137.4, 860.4, 557.4, and 203.1 mg g⁻¹ were achieved using GSH with concentrations of 48.37, 20.97, 12.13, and 3.26 mg L⁻¹, respectively. Five cycles of desorption of the resin with HCl (1 M) backflow and regeneration with NaOH (0.5 M) were also evaluated, where no significant differences (p-value > 0.05) were observed between each cycle, with an average of 935.9 mg g⁻¹ of q_max. The in-series columns evaluated reached a total efficiency of 90% on average after the third column in GSH with a cadmium concentration of 20.97 mg L⁻¹. This kind of configuration should be considered the best alternative for cadmium removal from GSH. Additionally, the chemical composition of GSH, which was considered a quality parameter, was not affected by cadmium adsorption. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heavy Metal Environmental Contaminants in Food)

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17 pages, 1351 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Transfer of Macronutrients, Micronutrients, and Toxic Elements from Soil to Grapes to White Wines in Uncontaminated Vineyards

by Justin B. Richardson and Jahziel K. Chase

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(24), 13271; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182413271 - 16 Dec 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1922

Abstract

Wine is a popular beverage and may be a source of nutrient and toxic elements during human consumption. Here, we explored the variation in nutrient and toxic elements from soils to grape berries and commercial white wines (Chardonnay) at five USA vineyards (New York, Vermont, California, Virginia) with strongly contrasting geology, soils, and climates. Samples were analyzed for macronutrients (Ca, K, and Mg), micronutrients (Mn, Cu, and Zn), and toxic elements (As, Cd, and Pb). Our study showed contrasting macronutrient, micronutrient, and toxic element concentrations in soils and in vines, leaves, and grapes. However, plant tissue concentrations did not correspond with total soil concentrations, suggesting a disconnect governing their accumulation. Bioconcentration factors for soil to grape berry transfer suggest the accumulation of Ca, K and Mg in berries while Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, and Pb were generally not accumulated in our study or in previous studies. Wines from the five vineyards studied had comparable nutrient, micronutrient, and toxic metal concentrations as wines from Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Croatia, Czech Republic, and Japan. The transfer of nutrients and toxic elements from grape berries to wine indicated that only Ca, K, and Mg were added or retained while concentrations of all other micronutrients and toxic elements were somewhat to extensively diminished. Thus, there appears to be a substantial effect on the geochemistry of the wine from the grape from either the fermentation process (i.e., flocculation), or a dilution effect. We conclude that soils, geology, and climate do not appear to generate a unique geochemical terroir as the transfer and concentration of inorganic nutrients appear to be comparable across strongly contrasting vineyards. This has several implications for human health. Nutrients in wine have potential impacts for human nutrition, as wine can meet or exceed the recommended dietary requirements of Ca, K, Mg, and Fe, and toxic metals As and Pb concentrations were also non-trivial. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heavy Metal Environmental Contaminants in Food)

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22 pages, 2369 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Aluminum in Bottom Sediments of the Lower Silesian Rivers Supplying Dam Reservoirs vs. Selected Chemical Parameters

by Magdalena Senze, Monika Kowalska-Góralska, Katarzyna Czyż, Anna Wondołowska-Grabowska and Joanna Łuczyńska

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(24), 13170; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182413170 - 14 Dec 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 1453

Abstract

The study was carried out on sediments collected from three rivers: Nysa Szalona, Strzegomka and Bystrzyca flowing in southwestern Poland. The content of Al in sediments and in bottom water was determined in relation to chemical conditions. The study was carried out in a four-year cycle, during spring and autumn. The aim of the study was to determine the level and accumulation of aluminum in sediments of rivers supplying dam reservoirs storing water for consumption. The sediments studied were mineral in nature, with neutral pH and moderate sulfate content. The level of Al and heavy metals in the sediments was the highest in the Nysa Szalona River and the lowest in the Strzegomka River, which was also evident in the concentration factor (CF). In terms of season, higher Al contents were recorded in sediments in autumn than in spring, which was also reflected in the concentration factor (CF). Along the course of the river, a gradual decrease in Al levels was observed in successive tributaries in the Nysa Szalona and Strzegomka Rivers, while there was no apparent regularity for the Bystrzyca. Against this background, a comparison of extreme sites below the springs and at the reservoir outlet shows that values were higher in the Nysa Szalona below the springs, and lower in the Strzegomka and Bystrzyca below the reservoir outlet. The general picture of Al and heavy metal loading of the studied sediments shows the lowest loading for the Strzegomka, only the enrichment factor (EF) was the lowest for the Nysa Szalona: metal pollution index (MPI)—S < B < NS, contamination factor (C_f)—S < B < NS, degree of contamination (DC)—S < NS < B, EF—NS < B < S, geoaccumulation index (I_geo)—S < B < NS, CF—S < NS < B. There was no effect of catchment size and river length on Al levels in sediments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heavy Metal Environmental Contaminants in Food)

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13 pages, 9767 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Heavy Metal Pollution and Potential Ecological Risk Assessment in a Typical Mariculture Area in Western Guangdong

by Ning He, Lanzhou Liu, Ren Wei and Kaifeng Sun

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(21), 11245; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182111245 - 26 Oct 2021

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 1988

Abstract

The distribution characteristics, environmental contamination states, and potential ecological risks of chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), arsenic (As), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd) in seawater, sediment and breeding feed were studied in a typical mariculture area in western Guangdong of China. Pearson correlation analysis was used to determine metal homology, and the single-factor index, potential ecological risk index, hazard quotient (HQ), and joint probability curve (JPC) were used to evaluate pollution states and ecological risk of metals. Four main statements can be concluded from the results: (1) Pb and Cu showed a similar distribution pattern in the seawater and sediment and their contents in the breeding wastewater exceeded the standard limits in several stations. (2) Cr, Cu, and As have similar sources in the feeds, which may be an important source of metals in water. (3) The risk assessment revealed that the sediment from the studied areas was at a low ecological risk of heavy metal, whereas, water in the pond and outfall was slightly polluted by Pb, and water in the cages and outfall were slightly polluted by Cu. (4) Both the hazard quotient (HQ) and joint probability curve showed the overall risk probabilities (ORPs) in the waters ranked as Cu > Cr > Pb > Cd > As. Although Pb and Cd had HQ values greater than 1, their ORPs were acceptable. This study highlights that multiple evaluation models are more reliable than the single ecological risk assessment for evaluating heavy metal pollution risks in the mariculture area. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heavy Metal Environmental Contaminants in Food)

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15 pages, 3125 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Geochemical Characteristics and Ecological Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Surface Soil of Gaomi City

by Zongjun Gao, Hongzhi Dong, Songtao Wang, Yuqi Zhang, Hairui Zhang, Bing Jiang and Yang Liu

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(16), 8329; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168329 - 6 Aug 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1944

Abstract

Gaomi City, the hinterland of Jiaolai Plain in Shandong Peninsula, was selected as the research object. A total of 8197 surface soil samples were collected to determine the contents of eight soil heavy metals (HMs)including Copper (Cu), Lead (Pb), Zinc (Zn), Nickel (Ni), Chromium (Cr), Cadmium (Cd), Arsenic (As), and Mercury (Hg). Statistical methods were used to find out the geochemical background (GCB) in the area, systematic clustering and factor analysis were used to study the homology between HMs, and single-factor evaluation method was used to evaluate the ecological risks in the study area. The results of the study show that the ecological risk of the surface soil in the study area is relatively low, dominated by a planar distribution, with only a few high-risk points. The uneven distribution of Hg in the surface soil is affected by human activities to a certain extent. The ratio of the GCB of the geological unit area to the GCB of the whole area shows that the Hg content of the Qingshan Group and Dasheng Group geological units is higher, and the Pb content in the subvolcanic rock area is slightly higher. The ecological pollution risk in the study area is generally low, and only exists individual high-risk areas, distributed radially in densely populated areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heavy Metal Environmental Contaminants in Food)

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19 pages, 359 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Safety Assessment of Toxic Metals in Commonly Used Herbs, Spices, Tea, and Coffee in Poland

by Grażyna Kowalska

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(11), 5779; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18115779 - 27 May 2021

Cited by 34 | Viewed by 3993

Abstract

The presented study was aimed at the determination of the level of contamination with heavy metals (Cd, Pb, As, and Hg) in 240 samples of plant materials, i.e., herbal raw materials, spices, tea, and coffee. Moreover, a probabilistic risk assessment (noncarcinogenic and carcinogenic risks) was estimated by models including target hazard quotient (THQ) and cancer risk (CR). The samples were subjected to microwave mineralisation with the use of HNO₃ (65%), while the determination of the content of the elements was performed with the use of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP–MS) and a mercury analyser. The element which was characterised by the highest level of accumulation in the analysed samples was lead (from 0.010 to 5.680 mg/kg). Among the heavy metals under analysis, the lowest concentration was noted in the case of mercury (from 0.005 to 0.030 mg/kg). A notably higher level of contamination with heavy metals was noted in the analysed samples of herbs and spices (0.005–5.680 mg/kg), compared to samples of tea and coffee (0.005–0.791 mg/kg). According to the guidelines of the World Health Organisation (WHO) concerning the limits of contamination of samples of herbal raw materials with heavy metals, lead levels exceeding the limits were only noted in 24 samples of herbs (18%). In all of the analysed samples of spices, tea, and coffee, no instances of exceeded limits were noted for any of the analysed heavy metals. The values of TTHQmax (in relation to the consumption of the analysed products) were as follows: up to 4.23 × 10⁻² for spices, up to 2.51 × 10⁻¹ for herbs, up to 4.03 × 10⁻² for China tea, and up to 1.25 × 10⁻¹ for roasted coffee beans. As the value of THQ ≤1, there is no probability of the appearance of undesirable effects related to the consumption of the analysed group of raw materials and products of plant origin. The CR value for As (max. value) was 1.29 × 10⁻⁵, which is lower than the maximum acceptable level of 1 × 10⁻⁴ suggested by United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heavy Metal Environmental Contaminants in Food)

9 pages, 527 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Lead Levels in Wild Boar Meat Sauce (Ragù) Sold on the Italian Market

by Antonio Lenti, Alessandro Menozzi, Giorgio Fedrizzi, Simonetta Menotta, Tiziano Iemmi, Giorgio Galletti, Paolo Serventi and Simone Bertini

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(8), 3989; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18083989 - 10 Apr 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2576

Abstract

Game meat is endowed with excellent nutritional value, but it may also be a possible source of harmful substances, such as mycotoxins and heavy metals. In particular, several studies showed that lead fragments from hunting ammunition are able to represent a residual contaminant in the meat of wild boars or deer, representing a possible source of lead absorption. Even though wild boar meat consumption in Italy is rather limited, this meat could also be present in very popular Italian recipes, such as the typical meat sauce called ragù. We evaluated the lead levels in 48 samples (three different batches for each of the 16 brands) of ready-to-eat wild boar meat ragù sold on the Italian market in food stores and online distribution with the inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) technique. A high variability was found in the lead levels detected in the samples, with a median lead level of 0.10 mg/kg (0.01–18.3 mg/kg) and some of the samples showing very high lead concentrations. Since no intake level of lead is considered completely safe, and maximum levels for game meat have so far not been established, a greater attention on the risks to consumers’ health related to the presence of this heavy metal in game meat is recommended. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heavy Metal Environmental Contaminants in Food)

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