Exposure to Heavy Metals in Food is Linked to Increased Risk of Cancer

Most of our bodies' nutrients can be obtained from different root crops. However, certain root crops were found to be contaminated with high levels of heavy metals. Recently, experts stated that the presence of heavy metals in food can lead to an increased risk of cancer.

Heavy Metals on Food Crops

(Photo : Pexels/Wendy Wei)

Throughout history, scientists have always paid a great deal of attention to issues about the environment. The contamination of toxic substances is a significant environmental problem that has posed major risks to both the health of humans and the produce of farms. Heavy metals and pesticides are at the top of the list of ecologically harmful substances threatening the natural world.

Plants grown for food can take up heavy metals from contaminated soil, air, and water. Therefore, it is possible to discover trace amounts of hazardous heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, and cadmium in everyday foods such as rice, cereals, almonds, and spinach. Under the direction of Felicia Wu, a food scientist at Michigan State University and the upcoming president of the SRA, several projects are being conducted to better understand the health concerns associated with heavy metal exposure.

During the meeting of the SRA, she discussed the findings of two recent research. The first approach is an exhaustive analysis of the dangers to one's health that are connected to the consumption of lead, arsenic, and cadmium in one's diet. In contrast, inorganic arsenic exposure is the subject of the second study, a quantitative analysis of the risk of developing cancer. Wu also asserts that the findings of this research have significant repercussions for the legislation governing food safety, public health policies, and consumer awareness.

Health Risks of Consumption of Heavy Metals

Wu, post-doctoral study colleague Charitha Gamlath, and Ph.D. student Patricia Hsu collected data on each metal's nutritional status from food and water samples and current studies and reports in the first investigation. The researchers evaluated the data to identify the degree of correlation between food intake and negative impacts on health. Accordingly, cancer and non-cancer health impacts were considered, and the Bradford Hill Criteria scores were used to determine the strength of the linkages between exposure to heavy metals and each outcome.

The dangerous metal lead can be found in a variety of places, including old paint, water pipes, and soil that has been poisoned. Root foods like beets contain lead. The study found that lead exhibited moderate to high-risk scores concerning the development of lung, kidney, bladder, stomach, and brain malignancies. Moreover, arsenic-rich soils have the potential to introduce this perilous substance into food and drinking water. It is present in various foods, including rice, wheat, and vegetables with leafy greens. Regarding kidney, skin, bladder, lung, and liver cancers, arsenic had ratings ranging from moderate to high.

Additionally, nicotine smoke and leafy green vegetables, potatoes, seeds, cereal grains, and almonds all contain the toxic metal cadmium. Among the things that contribute to its presence in the environment are industrial pollutants and fertilizers. Based on the study's findings, cadmium was associated with moderate levels of risk for malignancies of the prostate, kidneys, bladder, breast, pancreas, and endometrium.

Furthermore, lead, arsenic, and cadmium had moderate to high ratings for non-cancer hazards, which include reproductive, developmental, immunological, neurological, and renal impacts. Aside from these complications, eating foods containing arsenic had an additional risk of skin lesions and cardiovascular illness.

On the other hand, an assessment of the quantitative cancer risk associated with various food products in the United States that contain inorganic arsenic was carried out by Wu and Ph.D. student Rubait Rahman in the second study to be presented.

The initiative reviewed scientific material on inorganic arsenic exposure in food products and cancer risks. Regulatory authorities, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), provided arsenic levels in food goods. Accordingly, quantitative cancer risk assessment models were applied to estimate the cancer risk associated with exposure to inorganic arsenic via various food products. Cancer risk was reportedly estimated using exposure data, dose-response correlations, and population characteristics.