Probabilistic Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals (Cd, Pb, and As) in Cocoa Powder (Theobroma Cacao) in Tehran, Iran Market Publisher Pubmed



Mohamadi S¹ ; Mahmudiono T² ; Zienali T³ ; Sadighara P⁴ ; Omidi B⁵ ; Limam I⁶ ; Fakhri Y⁷
Source: International Journal of Environmental Health Research Published:2024

Abstract

The concentrations of toxic elements were analyzed by using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (FAAS). Moreover, the human health risk was estimated by Total Target Hazard Quotient (TTHQ) and Cancer Risk (CR) in Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) technique. The mean concentrations (mg/kg) of Cd (0.08 ± 0.08), Pb (0.23 ± 0.46), and As (0.06 ± 0.04), were in a good compliance with ISO (Iranian standard organization). TTHQ for adults and children was equal to 0.009 and 0.042, respectively and also mean CR in adults and children consumers was equal to 9.73E–7 and 9.08E–7, respectively. Consequently, the concentration of toxic elements (Cd, Pb, and As) in cocoa powder did not pose any safety concerns. Moreover, probabilistic health risk assessment revealed that both adults and children were not at considerable non-carcinogenic (THQ and/or TTHQ ≤ 1) and carcinogenic risk (CR ≤ 1E–6). Even though, seeking for mitigating solutions and applying them to suppress the dangers of food containing toxic elements is a critical subject. © 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.