Arsenic, Cadmium and Lead in Beers from the Italian Market

Abstract

Nineteen beer brands from the Italian market were surveyed for the presence of arsenic, cadmium and lead in January of 2007. Detection was performed by means of inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS). Average arsenic content was 10.82±5.54 μg/L, while cadmium (0.16±0.15 μg/L) and lead (1.84±3.24 μg/L) were significantly lower (P<0.05). Overall, this survey indicated that beer may contribute heavy metals to the diet. Nevertheless, the dietary exposure to these contaminants is unlikely to constitute a hazard to the consumer's health due to the low level of contamination found and to the low annual per capita consumption of beer in Italy.

Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Locally Produced Beer to the Population in Ethiopia

“…The levels of Cu obtained in this work are in agreement with that of other studies in Nigeria [22], Brazil [24] and Norway [25]. The lead level observed in this study is in line with that of other surveys [5,22,24]. For Mn the results obtained in this work are comparable to the levels reported in beers from Poland [26], Brazil [24] and Norway [25].…”

“…The concentration of Cd in the present study is comparable to the levels reported in beers available in Nigeria [22], Italy [5] and Brazil [23]. The levels of Cu obtained in this work are in agreement with that of other studies in Nigeria [22], Brazil [24] and Norway [25].…”

“…Prior to analysis, all beer samples were degassed using an ultrasonic bath for 30 min [5]. Samples were digested according to the methods described in [15].…”

“…On the other hand, Cd and Pb are toxic metals. All of them may be harmful if excessive amounts are consumed [2][3][4][5]. Cadmium is a highly toxic element that accumulates in biologic systems and has a long half-life.…”

Composition and Daily Intakes of Some Trace Metals from Canned Beers in Nigeria

“…The mixture was heated for 1 h (100°C) until complete clarification. The sample was allowed to cool to room temperature, filtered and diluted to 25 mL with ultra pure water 5 . Analytical blanks were prepared in a similar manner, but omitting the test sample.…”