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03.05.2024 - Foods

Heavy metal contamination in food

In particular, heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury can be harmful to health. They are found in animal and plant products because humans introduce them into the environment. This occurs due to agriculture, industry, and contamination from vehicle emissions or the food itself. Due to insufficient degradation processes, heavy metals can accumulate in plants and animals and reach harmful concentrations there.
In older houses, water pipes may be made of lead. Additionally, lead-containing dust from industrial emissions or shellfish and shellfish products can present a burden. Particularly high concentrations are found in offal, seafood, algae, oilseeds like flaxseed or sesame, certain mushrooms, and dark chocolate. But grains and vegetables also contain cadmium, albeit in smaller amounts. However, these products are consumed in larger quantities, and thus make up a larger portion of the total intake.

Arsenic accumulates particularly in rice, shellfish, shrimp, and fish.
Mercury is present in two different compounds. On the one hand, in organically bound mercury, like methylmercury, and on the other hand in inorganic mercury. The latter is mainly found in fish, such as halibut, butterfish, and pike, but also in shellfish. It can be noted that older fish and predatory fish are more heavily contaminated. The inorganic compounds occur in fruits, vegetables, or mushrooms.
To protect consumers, food producers must comply with legally prescribed maximum levels for all four heavy metals in particularly contaminated products.

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Sources:

https://www.bvl.bund.de/DE/Arbeitsbereiche/01_Lebensmittel/02_UnerwuenschteStoffeOrganismen/07_Schwermetalle/lm_schwermetalle_node.html
https://www.efsa.europa.eu/de/topics/topic/metals-contaminants-food