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. 2025 Jul 22;14(15):2561.
doi: 10.3390/foods14152561.

Occurrence of Potentially Toxic Metals Detected in Milk and Dairy Products in Türkiye: An Assessment in Terms of Human Exposure and Health Risks

Burhan Basaran  1
Affiliations

Occurrence of Potentially Toxic Metals Detected in Milk and Dairy Products in Türkiye: An Assessment in Terms of Human Exposure and Health Risks

Burhan Basaran. Foods. .

Abstract

This study investigated ten potential toxic metals (PTMs) in six milk and dairy product types and evaluated food safety (TDI, RDA), human exposure (EDI), non-carcinogenic risk (THQ, HI), and contamination levels (CF, PLI). Based on total PTM load, products ranked as: children's milk > yogurt > protein milk > milk > ayran > kefir. Aluminum (Al) showed the highest average concentration in all products except ayran, where manganese (Mn) was dominant. Cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), and lead (Pb) were consistently at the lowest levels. Except for chromium (Cr) exposure from children's milk, all average and maximum EDI values stayed below TDI and RDA thresholds. Children's milk had the highest non-carcinogenic risk, while yogurt, kefir, milk, and ayran may also pose potential risks when maximum HI values are considered. Although CF values varied across products, PLI results showed all products had high levels of PTM contamination. Given the widespread consumption of dairy across all age groups, especially by sensitive populations like children, monitoring and controlling PTM levels is crucial alongside ensuring nutritional quality.

Keywords: children’s milk; dairy products; kefir; metal exposure; risk assessment.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Total PTM load of milk and dairy products.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Level of relationship between PTMs.
Figure 3
Figure 3
HI levels of milk and dairy products.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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