Fuentes-Gandara Fabio, Barreto-Cañas Jaime, Marrugo-Madrid Siday, Marrugo-Negrete José, Pinedo-Hernández José, Díez Sergi
Department of Natural and Exact Sciences, Universidad de la Costa, Barranquilla, Colombia.
Faculty of Basic Sciences, Universidad del Atlántico, Barranquilla, Colombia.
Biol Trace Elem Res. 2025 Aug 7. doi: 10.1007/s12011-025-04728-5.
Milk is a daily source of essential nutrients, but the presence of trace metals raises significant health concerns about the quality of dairy products. This study investigated the presence of and human health exposure to potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in raw cow milk produced in the Caribbean region of Colombia, during both dry and rainy seasons. A total of 100 samples were collected from farms in five zones and analysed for toxic metal(loid)s, including Pb, Cr, Hg and As. Metal(loid) concentrations were generally higher during the rainy season, except for Hg, which showed elevated concentrations during the dry season. During the rainy season, values increased by factors of 20, 44, 3 and 0.5 for Pb, Cr, As and Hg, respectively. The year-round median concentrations of Pb, Cr, As and Hg in milk were 2.23, 44, 2.93 and 0.18 µg/L, respectively. The hazard index (HI) was higher than 1 in both adults and children, indicating a significant health risk of exposure to metal(loid)s in the milk-consuming population. Frequent milk consumption posed no public health concern for carcinogenic risk related to Pb and As across age groups. However, the estimated carcinogenic risk for Cr exceeded the USEPA guidance reference value for both children (1.7·10) and adults (4.8·10) indicating a potential public health concern across all age groups. In conclusion, it is essential not to underestimate the health risks associated with frequent milk consumption. Immediate action and stricter regulations on consumption are urgently needed to prevent potential public health emergencies.
牛奶是日常必需营养素的来源，但微量金属的存在引发了人们对乳制品质量的重大健康担忧。本研究调查了哥伦比亚加勒比地区在旱季和雨季生产的生牛奶中潜在有毒元素（PTEs）的存在情况以及人类健康暴露情况。总共从五个区域的农场收集了100个样本，并分析了包括铅、铬、汞和砷在内的有毒金属（类金属）。除汞在旱季浓度升高外，金属（类金属）浓度在雨季通常较高。在雨季，铅、铬、砷和汞的值分别增加了20倍、44倍、3倍和0.5倍。牛奶中铅、铬、砷和汞的全年中位数浓度分别为2.23、44、2.93和0.18微克/升。成人和儿童的危害指数（HI）均高于1，表明饮用牛奶人群接触金属（类金属）存在重大健康风险。频繁饮用牛奶对各年龄组与铅和砷相关的致癌风险未构成公共卫生问题。然而，估计的铬致癌风险超过了美国环境保护局（USEPA）针对儿童（1.7·10）和成人（4.8·10）的指导参考值，表明所有年龄组都存在潜在的公共卫生问题。总之，绝不能低估频繁饮用牛奶带来的健康风险。迫切需要立即采取行动并制定更严格的消费法规，以预防潜在的公共卫生紧急情况。
