KU study finds high levels of lead, nickel in candies

Published February 5, 2017
CUSTOMERS sift through sweets of questionable quality in the old city area.—Fahim Siddiqi/White Star
CUSTOMERS sift through sweets of questionable quality in the old city area.—Fahim Siddiqi/White Star

KARACHI: A number of samples of candies made by lesser-known manufacturers collected from various parts of the city under a recent study have been found to have high concentration of lead and nickel, two naturally occurring metals whose continued exposure carries serious health risk, particularly for children.

The research — ‘Monitoring of heavy metals on locally available unbranded candies in Karachi’ — was conducted at the Karachi University’s Institute of Environmental Studies by Dr Aamir Alamgir and Syeda Urooj Fatima under the supervision of Prof Moazzam Ali Khan.

Forty-six samples of flavoured candies were collected from Hyderi, Jodia Bazaar, Saddar, Quaidabad, Liaquatabad and Orangi Town, some major areas where wholesale markets of such candies exist, and were analysed to check presence of lead, nickel, arsenic, chromium and iron.

The maximum limits set by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and World Health Organisation (WHO) for lead is 0.1ppm (for food products), 0.2ppm for nickel, 0.1ppm for arsenic and 2ppm to 5ppm for iron. There are no international guidelines for chromium in food.

According to the study’s findings, metal concentration in sweets ranged from 0.32ppm to 4.12ppm for lead, 0.034ppm to 2.98ppm for nickel, 0.091ppm for maximum arsenic level, 0.22ppm for chromium and 0.034ppm to 3.06ppm for iron.

The mean concentration for lead was found to be 1.9627ppm, 0.583674ppm for nickel, 0.0185ppm for arsenic, 0.0768ppm for chromium and 1.2088ppm for iron. Candies having herbal or spice flavours were found to have higher metal contamination.

The metal contamination, according to the study, may have come from the substandard raw material, food additives including artificial food colours and flavours, the utensils used in manufacturing as well as the type of wrappers and the kind of ink used for packaging and improper storage conditions.

“We saw that the candies with green- and yellow-coloured wrappers had higher levels of lead, indicating that contamination might have occurred from wrappers. Some pigments such as lead chromate is banned in some countries but is still widely used for wrapping candies,” said Assistant Professor Dr Alamgir of the Institute for Environmental Studies.

None of the selected samples bore names of the ingredients used in their preparation, he added.

To a question as to why they tested only unbranded sweets, he said: “In the absence of any regulatory mechanism to ensure preparation and sale of safe food products, branded sweets can also have traces of harmful metals. But, our focus was on poor children that have low nutrition and immunity levels, making them more vulnerable to health risks.”

Children, he said, ate candies a lot and regular consumption of such sweets posed a serious threat to their health.

“There is global concern over toxic effects of lead particularly on young children that can suffer profound and permanent damage to their vital organs, especially the brain and nervous system. Lead poisoning signs include aggressive behaviour, sleep problems, abdominal cramps, constipation and headaches,” he explained, adding that both lead and nickel are carcinogenic.

The data, he pointed out, showed considerable presence of metals except arsenic.

On his observations during the study, he said generally middlemen purchased cheap unbranded candies from wholesale markets in prices that ranged between 0.35 paisa and Rs2, which were later sold at prices between Rs2 and Rs5 at shops.

“While some prefer to sell them in the same form in their chosen wrappers, others melt them [at] high temperature and add more ingredients, for instance chemicals for flavour and toxic food colours which are acquired from textile waste,” he said.

“Metal contamination even in low concentration can cause toxicity in children. But, these toxic sweets are being openly sold in low-income areas, outside schools and in markets,” he said.

He recommended a systematic and thorough survey of metal contents in confectionery products as well as an investigation into the sources of contamination.

Sharing his views regarding absence of a monitoring system for food products, Dr Qaiser Sajjad of the Pakistan Medical Association said it was the responsibility of the provincial food and health departments to ensure whatever food was available in the market was safe.

“Unfortunately, it’s a neglected subject in Sindh. The Punjab government’s food department, however, in recent months has taken commendable steps against those involved in the sale and manufacturing of substandard food items,” he said.

Published in Dawn February 5th, 2017

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