John G. Shiber
Kentucky Community & Technical College System, USA
Title: Arsenic, cadmium, lead, and formaldehyde in commonly consumed beers
Biography
Biography: John G. Shiber
Abstract
Seventeen canned sardine samples, originating from six countries and sold commercially in eastern Kentucky-USA were analyzed for trace elements. Total arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) were determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS), and mercury (Hg) by thermal decomposition amalgamation and AAS, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidelines. Reported in µg/g (wet) the metal levels found were: As 0.49-1.87 (mean: 1.06), Cd <0.01-0.07 (mean: 0.03), Pb<0.06 to 0.27 (mean: 0.11) and Hg was either less than the lower reporting level of 0.09µg/g or not detected. Hg and Pb concentrations are well below Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) guidelines for fish in general, but no guidelines exist for these elements in canned fish specifically and there are none at all for Cd or As in any kind of fish. Health risks associated with chronic, long-term ingestion of As at low concentrations in drinking water has been linked to certain cancers, cardiovascular and other health problems that are prevalent in this Central Appalachian region of the USA. The role of As in human disease via food, however, has only recently been scrutinized, and maximum allowable limits for this element in fish is now being reviewed. Since small pelagics may soon become commercially important seafood of choice in the face of diminishing populations of large species, further, more extensive studies of this nature are recommended.