Heavy Metals Testing
The enforcement of the Food Act 1983 and the Food Regulations 1985 is targeted towards reducing food-borne hazards and ensuring food is safe for human consumption. Arsenic and other heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, and mercury are all considered toxic and have adverse health effects on human metabolism. Accumulation of heavy metals in the food chain can occur by bio-concentration e.g. from water or the food source. Since the toxicological effects of heavy metals and arsenic on babies and infants are of special relevance, the safety of baby food is also in the spotlight.
Toxicology:
- Lead has a very low acute toxicity. Lead in the soil can be absorbed by fruits or vegetables.
- Cadmium is primarily toxic to the kidney and can cause renal failure and may cause bone demineralization.
- Mercury mainly occurs as methyl mercury in fish and seafood and is extremely toxic on the nervous system. Other foods usually contain less toxic inorganic mercury.
- Arsenic also occurs in organic and inorganic compounds, of which the latter is clearly more toxic and may cause cancer of the skin, lungs, and urinary tract.
Regulatory bodies around the world have set maximum limits for lead, cadmium, and mercury in different food groups such as meat, fish, seafood, cereals, vegetables, fruits and products thereof, fats and oils, milk, baby food, and infant formulae.
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