Heavy Metal Index

FDA TDS FY2018-FY2020 elements ingest audit

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FDA TDS FY2018-FY2020 Elements Ingest Audit

Inputs

  • Raw CSV: raw/reports/fda-tds-elements-fy2018-fy2020-results.csv
  • FDA key PDF: raw/reports/fda-tds-elements-analytical-results-key-fy2018-fy2020.pdf
  • Source page: fda2022-tds-elements-fy2018-fy2020

Deterministic Checks

CheckResult
CSV rows read29,148
Normalized sample rows written29,148
TDS food descriptions routed90
New ingredient pages created68
Existing ingredient pages updated22
Analytes present24
Fiscal years2018, 2019, 2020
Calendar years2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
Regions/list locationsMid-Atlantic, National, North Central, Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, West
Inorganic arsenic rows4

Scope Decisions

  • Raw source preservation: the CSV and key PDF were copied into raw/reports/ and are not edited by the ingest.
  • Censoring: FDA-reported zero concentrations remain zero-valued rows. The reporting-limit field is retained separately and no <LOD flag is invented.
  • Unit normalization: ppb-equivalent values are added for screening and summary only. The original units and values remain the primary source fields.
  • Speciation: total arsenic, inorganic arsenic, dimethylarsinic acid, and monomethylarsonic acid remain separate analytes. Total arsenic is not substituted for inorganic arsenic.
  • Routing: all 90 TDS foods have ingredient-page destinations. Apple and grapefruit juice also update juice product-row context because those rows already exist.
  • Claims firewall: no brand ranking, certified-brand claim, HMTc threshold, or regulatory exceedance finding was added.

Generated Files

  • data/evidence/fda_tds_fy2018_2020_element_results_samples.csv
  • data/evidence/fda_tds_fy2018_2020_summary_by_food_analyte.csv
  • data/evidence/fda_tds_fy2018_2020_ingredient_routes.csv

Follow-Up Queue

  • Decide whether the app schema should formally include tAs and U in every ingredient contamination_profile or keep them as structured evidence fields only.
  • Add matrix-specific regulatory comparisons only where species, basis, product scope, and regulatory status match. Apple-juice total arsenic from TDS is not an inorganic-arsenic comparison.
  • Consider a future synthesis pass that fills selected ingredient profiles from the summary file once source coverage and censoring policy are reviewed.