Toxic Metals and Trace Elements in Artisanal Honeys from the Canary Islands

Metals in Honey from Bees as a Proxy of Environmental Contamination in the United States

This is the first large bio-surveillance study examining the contents and geographic variation of metals of public health concern-arsenic (As), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), and cobalt (Co)-in honey samples collected across the United States. Metal concentrations were measured using ICP-MS, and the spatial distribution pattern of these contaminants was evaluated using statistical and GIS tools. The mean (highest) values (in μg/kg) were 3.8 (170) for As, 8.0 (451) for Pb, and 0.75 (8.1) for Cd. These values, as well as the mean (highest) concentrations of 29.5 (516) for Ni, 14.3 (166) for Co, and 19.6 (11) for Cr, were markedly lower than global averages reported in other countries. The study identified distinct geographic patterns of honey contamination; particularly high As levels were found in northwestern states, while high Co was measured in the southeast. Health risk calculations based on the hazard quotient (HQ) and hazard index (HI) were below 1 for a daily tablespoon (21g) of honey consumption, indicating no adverse health concerns for children and adults, and all samples fell below the 1.0x10-6 threshold for carcinogenic risk. The variation in metal concentrations found in samples from different states may reflect the influence of air, water, or soil pollution, as well as differential accumulation across plant species, and the distinct geographic clustering of As and Co warrants further investigation to determine the sources of these metals and to assess public health risks, particularly for As, a well-known carcinogen. In sum, this initial study provides baseline values of metal concentrations in honey that can be useful for monitoring future pollution trends, identifying target areas where reductions of emissions or remediation efforts are most critical, and facilitating discovery research in environmental exposure and health sciences.

Human Exposure through the Diet to Arsenic and Other Toxic Elements: A Literature Review of Scientific Studies Conducted in Catalonia, Spain, in the Current Century

Human exposure to arsenic and other toxic elements such as cadmium, lead and mercury may lead to a wide range of adverse health effects. In relation to this, it is well established that the diet is the main route of exposure to both essential and toxic trace elements. In recent years, the levels of toxic elements in foodstuffs have been measured in numerous studies conducted all over the world. Scientific databases show that, in the current century, China and Spain have been the countries where the most surveys on this topic have been carried out. Regarding Spain, Catalonia is the region where most studies aimed at determining the concentrations of trace elements in food have been performed. The objective of this paper was to review the studies carried out in Catalonia on the concentrations of As and toxic metals (including Cd, Hg and Pb) in food, as well as their estimated dietary intakes (EDIs). The results of total diet studies (TDSs) and duplicate diet (DD) studies have been included. For most toxic elements, a continued reduction in the EDI has been observed. This reduction is associated with a decrease in their concentrations in food, and with certain changes in dietary habits. Fish and seafood is the food group showing the highest content of toxic elements. However, none of the adult groups exceeded-in general-the safety thresholds for As, Cd, Hg and Pb established by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA).

Assessment of heavy metal levels in cow's milk and associated health risks in the vicinity of the MIDROC Laga Dambi gold mine in Ethiopia

INTRODUCTION

The possible health effects of consuming milk contaminated with heavy metals have been the subject of considerable concern worldwide.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to determine the level of heavy metals in cow's milk in the vicinity of MIDROC Laga Dambi gold mine and to assess their possible health risks for consumers.

METHODS

Nine composite samples were formed by aggregating 243 milk samples obtained in triplicates from 81 domestic milk-producing households. Inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy was used to measure the amount of heavy metals after samples digestion under optimal conditions.

RESULTS

The heavy metals concentrations obtained were 13.913-7.843, 9.505-3.589, 5.972-3.147, 2.288-1.851, 0.403-0.143, 0.436-0.128, 0.26-0.153, 0.143-0.048, 0.160-ND (not detected), and 0.140-ND mgkg-1for Fe, Zn, Pb, Mn, Hg, Cr, Cd, As, Ni, and Co, respectively. Of the heavy metals identified, the levels of Pb, As, Cd, and Hg exceeded the recommended value. Based on the estimated daily intake (EDI), the total health quotient (THQ) is higher than unity even for Pb alone. It has been found that the consumption of cow milk increases the health index (HI) by 2.972. Ninety five percent of the HI in the study area was explained by the toxic heavy metals (Pb, Cd, As, and Hg) in the cow milk, which were found to be beyond the safe limit.

CONCLUSION

This demonstrates that there is a health risk to the population who consume cow's milk sourced from the vicinity of MIDROC Laga Dambi gold mine. To safeguard the public's health, we advised strict monitoring and legislative control for the safety of cow's milk originating from study area.

Assessment of Toxic Element Contamination in Honey, Milk, and Eggs from Algiers (Algeria) Using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS): Exploring Health Implications of Pollution

Consumption of foods such as milk, honey, and eggs contaminated with toxic elements above established norms poses a health risk to the population. This study explores the potential of products from beehives, poultry, and dairy as indicators of environmental pollution caused by toxic substances (Pb, Cd, Hg), seeks contamination sources, evaluates the exposure level, and assesses health risks. Through the analysis of samples from three distinct regions in Algiers, including 30 milk, 30 honey, and 30 poultry egg samples, the study assesses levels of toxic elements (lead, cadmium, and mercury) using ICP-MS and analyzes consumer exposure risk. The analysis of honey reveals levels of Pb (0.282 μg/g) > Cd (0.161 μg/g) > Hg (0.017 μg/g), the analysis of eggs shows levels of Pb (0.399 μg/g) > Cd (0.239 μg/g) > Hg (0.027 μg/g), and the results in milk show levels of Cd (0.250 μg/g) > Pb (0.131 μg/g) > Hg (0.019 μg/g). The risk analysis indicates a risk associated with milk consumption for both adults and children, whereas for honey and eggs, the risk is limited to children only in polluted areas. Future research should expand to other toxic elements in different food matrices in both northern and southern Algeria to evaluate the health risk for African and European consumers.

Elemental Fingerprinting Combined with Machine Learning Techniques as a Powerful Tool for Geographical Discrimination of Honeys from Nearby Regions

Discrimination of honey based on geographical origin is a common fraudulent practice and is one of the most investigated topics in honey authentication. This research aims to discriminate honeys according to their geographical origin by combining elemental fingerprinting with machine-learning techniques. In particular, the main objective of this study is to distinguish the origin of unifloral and multifloral honeys produced in neighboring regions, such as Sardinia (Italy) and Spain. The elemental compositions of 247 honeys were determined using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The origins of honey were differentiated using Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA), and Random Forest (RF). Compared to LDA, RF demonstrated greater stability and better classification performance. The best classification was based on geographical origin, achieving 90% accuracy using Na, Mg, Mn, Sr, Zn, Ce, Nd, Eu, and Tb as predictors.

Multi-element Analysis of Honey from Amhara Region-Ethiopia for Quality, Bioindicator of Environmental Pollution, and Geographical Origin Discrimination

Honey is a widely utilized sweetener containing mainly sugars with many other minor ingredients such as metallic elements. The analysis aimed to develop a chemometric model for tracing the geographical origin, evaluating nutritional quality, assessing pollution effect, and searching for marker metals for the region's honey. Forty-seven honey samples were collected directly from the apiarists at seven administrative zones. The contents of 14 metals were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry after standard sample digestion. The findings showed us the major elements ranged from 24.8 to 1996 mg/kg of the honey sample with K > Ca > Na > Mg. The minimum and maximum values for the trace metals were 2.35 mg/kg and 163 mg/kg, respectively, in the order of Fe > Cr > Zn > Ni > Mn > Cu > Co. From this data, the region's honey has its own contribution as a source of major and trace elements. Furthermore, mean values for the toxic heavy metals were 0.57 to 1.85 for Pb, 1.03 to 1.21 for Cd, and 2.85 to 6.21 for As in mg/kg. Thus, the pollution level in the environment seems to be at an alarming rate. Using principal components analysis (PCA), the first four principal components explained 80.16% of the total variation. The region's honey was best classified into five major clusters using linear discriminant analysis (LDA) with an average discrimination power of 89.91%. The LDA sorting model was verified by the cross-validation method. The verification revealed that the model has 92.11% recognition power and 93.33% prediction ability.

Review of harmful chemical pollutants of environmental origin in honey and bee products

Honey is a natural food with many pro-health properties, which comprises a wide variety of valuable ingredients. It can also be the source of chemical contaminants of environmental origin, including POPs that can contribute to adverse health effects to human. Monitoring the degree of pollution of honey/bee products with hazardous chemicals is important from a nutraceutical point of view. In the present work, overview of recent literature data on chemical pollutants in honey/bee products originating from the environment was performed. Their MLs, MRLs and EDI were discussed. It can be concluded that huge amount of research concerned on the presence of TMs and pesticides in honey. Most of the studies have shown that honey/bee products sampled from urban and industrialized areas were more contaminated than these sampled from ecological and rural locations. More pollutants were usually detected in propolis and bee pollen than in honey. Based on their research and regulations, authors stated, that most of the toxic pollutants of environmental origin in honey/bee products are at levels that do not pose a threat to the health of the potential consumer. The greatest concern relates to pesticides and TMs, because in some research MLs in individual samples were highly exceeded.

Determination of the Ca, Mn, Mg and Fe in honey from multiple species of stingless bee produced in Brazil

Stingless Bees (SB) honey is a product used for different purposes, and it is worth highlighting the presence of metallic species, which can have a nutritional or toxic effect, depending on the metal present and/or the amount ingested. Therefore, the objective of this work was to quickly determine Fe, Mn, Mg and Ca in SB honey, using slurry sampling and FAAS of 88 honey samples from different regions of Brazil. The concentrations varied from < LOD to 364 µg g^-1 (Ca). The order for average concentration in the samples was Ca > Mg > Mn > Fe. Through the principal component analysis, it was verified that the SB honey analyzed in the present study has higher contents of the evaluated metals than the honey of the species Apis mellifera and SB honey from other Brazilian states. Theoretical calculation demonstrated that there is a little contribution of SB honey to human diet in relation to the metals, being more significative for Mn.

Difference in pesticides, trace metal(loid)s and drug residues between certified organic and conventional honeys from Croatia

Quality and safety of food, including honey, is one of the leading priorities regarding residues of anthropogenic chemicals with proven adverse health effects. In total, 61 honey samples of known botanical origin were collected in period 2018-2019 from Croatian registered organic and conventional beekeepers (N = 16 organic and N = 45 conventional honey samples). Eleven trace metal(loid)s (Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn; quantitated by ICP-MS), 24 antibiotics (LC-MS/MS, ELISA, microbiological inhibition test), six indicator PCBs (GC-MS/MS) and 121 pesticides (LC-MS/MS, GC-MS/MS) originating from environment and/or beekeeping practice were measured to assess possible differences in contaminant residues between organic and conventional honeys. All honey samples had contaminant residues below the legal maximum levels and are considered safe for consumers. However, 2/16 organic and 34/45 conventional honeys contained one or two synthetic acaricides (most frequently coumaphos), while other pesticides, antibiotics and PCBs were not quantified. Also, organic honey contained lower levels of coumaphos, amitraz and amitraz metabolite N-(2,4-dimethylphenyl) formamide than conventional honeys, on average. Higher levels of Cr (p = 0.006) were detected in organic compared to conventional chestnut honeys. This study pinpointed beehive disease control treatment as prominent pesticide residue source, which was to some extent reduced in organic honeys. Quantified pesticide and metal(loid) levels were within range or lower than reported in recent literature regarding honey of the same botanical origin.

Mineral and Trace Element Analysis of Australian/Queensland Apis mellifera Honey

Honey is an extensively utilized sweetener containing sugars and water, together with small quantities of vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, amino acids and proteins. Naturally produced by honeybees (Apis mellifera) from floral nectar, honey is increasingly sold as a health food product due to its nutritious features. Certain honeys are retailed as premium, trendy products. Honeybees are regarded as environmental monitors, but few reports examine the impact of environment on Australian honey trace elements and minerals. In higher density urban and industrial environments, heavy metals can be common, while minerals and trace elements can have ubiquitous presence in both agricultural and urban areas. Honey hives are traditionally placed in rural and forested areas, but increasingly the trend is to keep hives in more urban areas. This study aimed to determine the levels of 26 minerals and trace elements and assess elemental differences between honeys from various regional Queensland and Australian sources. Honey samples (n = 212) were acquired from markets, shops and supermarkets in Queensland while urban honeys were purchased online. The honey samples were classified into four groups according to their regional sources: urban, rural, peri-urban and blend honey. Elemental analyses of honey were performed using ICP-MS and ICP-OES after microwave and hot block digestion. Considerable variations of essential trace elements (Co, Cu, Cr, Fe, Mn, Mo and Zn) and mineral levels (Ca, K, Mg, Na and P) were found in honeys surveyed. There were significant differences (p < 0.05) between urban and rural honey samples for B, Na, P, Mn, K, Ca and Cu. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were also found between blend and urban honey samples for K, Cu, P, Mn, Sr, Ni, B and Na. Peri-urban versus urban honeys showed significant differences in P, K and Mn. For rural and peri-urban honeys, the only significant difference (p < 0.05) was for Na. Toxic heavy metals were detected at relatively low levels in honey products. The study revealed that the Queensland/Australian honey studied is a good source of K and Zn and would constitute a good nutritional source of these elements.

Trace Element Levels in Vegetable Sausages and Burgers Determined by ICP-OES

The consumption of vegetable sausages or hamburgers is growing. The consumption of this type of product has increased exponentially in recent years for two main reasons: the rejection of meat consumption and the search for healthier foods. Vegetable sausages are relatively new products on the market and, as with other foods, they may contain trace elements, both essential and toxic. Thus, the objective of this work is the determination of the content of trace elements (B, Ba, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Li, Mn, Mo, Ni, Sr, V, Zn, Al, Cd, Pb) in 67 samples of vegetable sausages and burgers (27 samples of vegetable sausages and 39 samples of vegetable burgers) by means of ICP-OES (inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry). The highest trace element levels were found in the sausage's samples, which remarkably are the Fe (14.1 mg/kg wet weight), Al (5.10 mg/kg ww), and Pb (0.05 mg/kg ww) content. Meanwhile, the levels of Zn (8.35 mg/kg ww), Mn (5.04 mg/kg ww), and Sr (2.77 mg/kg ww) were higher in burger's samples. The dietary exposure reveals that the consumption of 100 g/day of these products offers an important intake of Fe, Mn, and Cu. About the toxic trace elements, the consumption of the vegetable sausages (100 g/day) represents an intake of 14.6% of the TDI (tolerable daily intake) of Pb and sets in 0.5 μg/kg body weight/day. The consumption of 100 g/day of vegetable sausages and burgers does not pose a health risk. However, a higher consumption can carry a risk; for that reason, it is necessary to set a maximum level of certain elements in this kind of products.