Determination of Heavy and Mineral Metals in Raw Milk Produced from Livestock in Khatoon-Abad, Shahr-e-Babak, Kerman

Background: The contamination of milk and its products with heavy metals causes toxic and harmful effects on human health. The purpose of this study was to measure the levels of Pb, As, Zn, Cu, Co, Ni, Cr, Mn, and Mg in raw milk produced from livestock around the Khatoon-Abad Copper Smelter in Shahr-e-Babak, Kerman.   Methods: Samples of raw milk were collected from ۱۰ nomadic settlements in Khatoon-Abad district, Shahr-e-Babak, in the spring of ۲۰۱۵. After digestion of ۱۰ samples of milk with concentrated nitric acid, a total of ۹۰ experiments were conducted using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry to determine the levels of the above-mentioned heavy metals. Data were analyzed using SPSS ۱۶.   Results: The average concentration of Mg, Zn, Cu, and Ni was ۱۵.۶۶±۳.۰۶, ۱.۵۳± ۰.۶۷, ۰.۴۷±۰.۱۱, and ۱.۹۵±۰.۵۴ mg/kg, respectively. The levels of Pb, As, Co, Cr, and Mn were not measurable by, in any sample.   Conclusion: The amounts of metals measured in the present study, except Ni, were within the ranges of the global standards (FAO/WHO and Codex ۲۰۰۷).

Keywords:

Metals , Raw milk , livestock , Shahr-e-Babak