Health risk Assessment of Traditional Pastries Marketed in City of Kermanshah in 2019 with Emphasis on Potential Risk of Pb, Cd, Cr and Cu

Traditional pastries are the favorite common food items of people at all ages, especially children who consume them in large amounts. Since raw materials and manufacturing processes may be the main sources of contamination of foodstuffs by hazardous compounds particularly toxic heavy metals, this study was conducted to health risk assessment of Pb, Cd, Cr and Cu through consumption of two famous traditional pastries (i.e. "Nan-e Berenji" and "Kak") which marketed in city of Kermanshah in 2019. Materials and Methods: After the purchase of 21 samples of each pastry of seven popular brands and acid digestion of the samples according to standard methods, the content of studied elements was determined using inductively coupled plasma- optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES) in 3 replicates. Also, all statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS software. Results: Based on the results the mean contents of Pb, Cd, Cr and Cu (mg/kg) in Nan-e Berenji samples were 0.770, 0.034, 1.21 and 1.14, respectively, while the mean contents of elements in Kak samples were 0.200 for Pb, 0.035 for Cd, 1.02 for Cr and 1.23 mg/kg for Cu. Besides, the results obtained showed that TTHQ values were 2.57 ⨯ 10-2 and 5.29 ⨯ 10-3 for children and adults, respectively, who consuming Nan-e Berenji and were 1.1 ⨯ 10-2 and also 2.33 ⨯ 10-3, respectively, for children and adults who consuming Kak. Also, the mean contents of Pb in Nan-e Berenji samples were higher than the WHO maximum permissible limits (MPL). Besides, THQ values were within the safe limits (THQ < 1), and there is no potential health risk for adults and children via the consumption of analyzed traditional pastries. According to the results of the current study, the controlled consumption of traditional pastries under the current consumption rate hasnchr('39')t an adverse effect on the consumerchr('39')s health. While, the mean contents of Pb in Nan-e Berenji samples were higher than the MPL, and due to the persistent and bioaccumulation potential of heavy metals in the body tissues, regular periodic monitoring of the content of toxic metals in popular foodstuffs for maintaining human health and achieve food security is recommended.