Safety of Fresh Fruits and Juices Available on the Polish Market as Determined by Heavy Metal Residues

Abstract

The content of Pb, Cd, Cu and Zn in fresh fruit and juices was determined using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) to determine the safety of some food available in the Polish market. It was found that most fruit samples (90.4%) contained low levels of heavy metals. However, the remaining 9.6% had increased heavy metal contents (Pb 2.2%, Cd 4.4%, Cu, 1.5%, Zn 1.5%). Most fruit juice sample (88%) met the national standard criteria, but 12% exceeded the permissible limits for Pb and Cd (3% and 9%, respectively). The results contained in this paper were presented in the 14th IGWT Symposium, Beijing, China, August 23-29, 2004.