Trace elements in tea in Ouargla, Algeria and health risk assessment

ABSTRACT

Tea is one of the most common drinks, consumed for its pleasant flavour and several medicinal values. The present study aimed to determine the levels of trace elements in tea products marketed in the Saharan region of Ouargla, Algeria and to evaluate the health risks associated with its regular consumption in adults and infants. To this aim, 78 tea samples were analysed by Inductively Coupled Plasma – Mass Spectrometry. Tea samples appeared to be contaminated by lead (0.73 ± 0.08 µg g⁻¹) and aluminium (0.22 ± 0.02 µg g⁻¹). Cadmium, arsenic, mercury, cobalt, manganese, nickel, chromium, zinc and copper were also detected. General linear model analysis indicated that black tea samples were the most contaminated. Tea samples packed in tea bags were the most contaminated with arsenic, aluminium and manganese. The hazard index was 0.28 and 1.33 for adults and for infants, respectively, indicating adverse non-carcinogenic effects in infants.

KEYWORDS:

• Tea
• heavy metals
• trace elements
• health risk assessment
• food safety

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data collected and analysed for this study can be shared upon request.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.