Toxic and essential elements in Nigerian rice and estimation of dietary intake through rice consumption

In this study, levels and estimated daily intake (EDI) of two toxic elements, Cd and Pb, and eight essential elements: Ca, P, Zn, Mn, Co, Cu, Se and Mo, were determined in Nigerian rice samples. The mean levels of Cd, Pb and Co were 5.43±0.88, 38.66±5.42, 25.8±3.18 ng/g. The mean levels of Ca, P, Zn, Mn, Cu, Se and Mo were 71.5±7.31, 951±52.0, 10.2±0.63, 8.5±0.47, 3.07±0.18, 40.1±9.2 and 0.39±0.05 µg/g, respectively. The percentage contribution to the reference values for each element was 0.54, 7.71, 0.38, 9.51, 8.97, 31.3, 30.7, 5.1 and 60.7% for Cd, Pb, Ca, P, Zn, Mn, Cu, Se and Mo, respectively. The elemental nutrient levels in Nigerian rice samples are comparable to those obtained from other regions and their consumption does not pose any serious health risk to consumers.