Assessment of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in spices from Abadan, Iran: a health risk evaluation study

This study examines the concentrations of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in frequently consumed spices using inductively coupled plasma - optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The risk assessment of exposure to these metals was also investigated through probabilistic Monte Carlo simulation to estimate non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks. The findings indicated that the highest PTEs concentrations were found in curry (189.27 mg/kg), while turmeric had the lowest levels (111.87 mg/kg). Mn had the highest concentration among all the spices, followed by Fe (with the exception of black pepper), while Cd had the lowest concentration through spices (0.7 mg/kg). Moreover, for all spices, several metals' levels in packaged types were significantly higher than in bulk types. The findings also depicted that children are at greater risk than adults. The results showed that while non-carcinogenic risks were within acceptable limits (below 1), arsenic exposure through spice consumption posed a carcinogenic risk, particularly for children (greater than 1.00E-4). However, our findings showed that total target hazard quotient (TTHQ) for the cumulative risk of all spices consumption were 1.45 and 2.84 for adults and children, respectively, indicating considerable non-carcinogenic risk. Overall, the study underscores the need for stricter regulations of toxic element levels in spices to ensure food safety.