Lead exposure through eggs in Iran: health risk assessment

Introduction. Contamination of food, including animal protein sources, with heavy metals is a major threat to humans. The aim of this research was to determine lead concentrations in eggs from different Iranian regions and assess risks to human health. Study objects and methods. In this study, lead concentrations in eggs produced at laying hen farms in Qom, Isfahan (Kashan city), and Khorasan Razavi (Mashhad city) provinces were measured by an atomic absorption device. Health risk was estimated using the Human Health Risk Assessment (HHRA) model. Results and discussion. The levels of lead in eggs were significantly different (P ≤ 0.05) among the three regions. They were lower than the permissible limit (0.1 mg/kg) for Kashan (0.0756 mg/kg) and Mashhad (0.0633 mg/kg), but eggs from Qom contained 0.1163 mg/kg of lead. In all the three regions, the estimated daily intake (EDI) of lead was lower than the maximum tolerable daily intake (MTDI), indicating no health risk for lead through egg consumption among Iranian consumers. Also, no risks were detected for adults in terms of non-cancer risk, or target hazard quotients (THQ), and carcinogenic risk (CR) of lead (THQ < 1 and CR < 10–6). Conclusion. The results of this study indicated that lead health risk through egg consumption is within safe limits. However, the nutritional importance and high consumption of eggs among households necessitate a more careful monitoring of lead concentrations to meet public health requirements.