The assessment of lead pollution in milk collected from all dairy farms in Lorestan province, Iran

Abstract

Milk has been regarded as a unique source of food for all ages but when it is exposed to various contaminants including lead, it is considered as a risk to humans. Therefore, it is important to monitor lead pollution in foods. In this study, 85 samples of raw cow milk were obtained from 85 dairy farms of Lorestan province in Iran. After the digestion process, the atomic absorption method with graphite furnace was applied. The mean level of lead content was 3.24 ± 1.31 ppb, ranging from < 0.7 to 23.73 ppb. Except two farms in Boroujerd and Aligodarz, lead content in other farms were less than the authorized limit by Codex (20 ppb). With respect to the results obtained, it seems that the concentrations of Pb in raw milk produced in Lorestan did not present any major risk to human health (infants and adults).

Keywords:

• AAS
• lead
• Lorestan
• Raw milk

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the technical personnel of dairy farms of Lorestan province.

Declaration of interest

This work was sponsored by the Iranian Veterinary Organization.