مختصر البحث:
The purpose of the study was to determine the concentration of Pb, Cd, and Cr
in a number of selected cheese samples in Iraqi markets, both locally produced and
imported from Iran and Turkey. This assessment was carried out through the application…
The purpose of the study was to determine the concentration of Pb, Cd, and Cr
in a number of selected cheese samples in Iraqi markets, both locally produced and
imported from Iran and Turkey. This assessment was carried out through the application of
atomic absorption spectroscopy. In the current investigation, human health risk parameters,
such as estimated daily intake (EDI), target hazard quotient (THQ), hazard index (HI), and
carcinogenic risk (CR), were evaluated in all tested cheese samples. The evaluation of the r
lead assay for Iraqi, Iranian, and Turkish cheese samples yielded the following average
values: 2.88 ± 0.43, 4.33 ± 0.57, and 3.89 ± 0.63 in units of mg/kg, respectively. In the case
of cadmium, the values were 0.131 ± 0.02, 0.135 ± 0.03, and 0.167 ± 0.032, respectively,
whereas chromium values were 0.015 ± 0.01, 0.183 ± 0.12, and 0.105 ± 0.07, respectively.
The average values of HI for Iraqi, Iranian, and Turkish samples were 0.352 ± 0.05, 0.526
± 0.07, and 0.483 ± 0.26, respectively. Additionally, the average values of CR×10-6 for Pb,
Cd, and Cr concentrations in Iraqi samples were 0.004 ± 0.0006, 0.297 ± 0.05, and 0.09 ±
0.08, respectively. Meanwhile, the corresponding values for Iranian and Turkish samples
were 0.006 ± 0.0007, 1.13 ± 0.0007, and 0.0056 ± 0.7, and 0.005 ± 0.0008, 0.37 ± 0.07,
and 0.65 ± 0.4, respectively. The heavy metal content in the Iraqi samples was lower than
in Iranian and Turkish samples. Also, no statistical significance was found when comparing
the Iranian and Turkish samples, where the P-value was greater than 0.05. Most of the
values of Pb, Cd, and Cr concentrations were above the permissible limits according to EU
regulations. However, the health risk parameters were within the globally accepted limits.
Therefore, the majority of the investigated cheese samples have no health risks when used
by Iraqi customers.
