Boron concentrations in selected foods from borate‐producing regions in Turkey

Abstract

As part of a large-scale programme to investigate the health effects of exposure to borate minerals in Turkey, boron concentrations in vegetables, fruits and some other foods were determined. From all borate-producing regions of the country, 22 species of fruit, 17 species of vegetable, 12 species of cereal, legume and oilseed, three species of herbs and six types of other food were collected in 1999 and analysed for boron concentrations using the Azomethine H method. The results were compared with 37 types of food collected from areas well distant from the borate-producing areas. The total number of samples evaluated was 420. Pistachio (67.0 mg kg −1 ) had the highest concentration of boron, followed by grape leaf (60.48 mg kg −1 ), sour cherry (57.03 mg kg −1 ), quince (38.78 mg kg −1 ), peach (34.49 mg kg −1 ), grape (20.70 mg kg −1 ), green beans (19.49 mg kg −1 ), unripe peach (18.92 mg kg −1 ) and parsley (10.24 mg kg −1 ) from the borate-producing regions. A large number of foods contained boron at higher concentrations than those reported in the literature, most probably due to the high boron content of these Turkish soils. According to the results of t-tests, the area itself does not have a significant effect (p > 0.05) on boron concentration in all foods evaluated so far.

Effects of dietary boron on cervical cytopathology and on micronucleus frequency in exfoliated buccal cells

“…Despite these results, it has been reported that there was no correlation between the boron concentration in blood and drinking water, and that the boron intake was realized mainly through food; therefore using drinking water with a level of boron nearly as high as 1 mg/L can have positive effects on human health (Yazbeck et al, 2005). In another study, relatively higher levels of boron were found in the plants grown in the same locations for our research (Simsek et al, 2003).…”

“…People in these villages have been employed in the mining of boron-containing minerals and in the cultivating of crops in these areas for more than a century. Saylı et al (1998) and Simsek et al (2003) indicate that the levels of boron and boron-containing minerals are unusually high in the tap water and the agricultural products grown in these areas. Women living in these villages therefore are exposed to boron through their diet; in addition, following sexual intercourse and during bathing, the genital and anal regions are washed directly with water, constituting another route of exposure to boron.…”

Effects of Chronic Boron Exposure on Semen Profile

“…Previous studies have shown that the fountain and tap waters in this area contain 1 mg/L or higher levels of B [5,15]. In addition, relatively high boron concentrations have been reported in the agricultural products from the same region [17]. In order to form the boron group, the official health records of the residents were taken as a basis.…”

Boron Compounds in the Breast Cancer Cells Chemoprevention and Chemotherapy

“…Many other factors also correlate with the incidence of cervical cancer (Ursin et al, 1996;Ylitalo et al, 1999;Castellsague et al, 2002). According to one hypothesis, the low cervical cancer incidence in Turkey correlates with its B-enriched soil (Sayli et al, 2001;Simsek et al, 2003). Indeed, the ingestion of B via drinking water prevents cervical cancer risk (Korkmaz et al, 2007).…”