Summary
This peer-reviewed study measured aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, tin, mercury, lead, and uranium in phase 1 and phase 2 cow milk-based infant formulas marketed in Brazil. It is relevant to the formula-powder rows because it reports product-level concentrations in mg/kg, but it excludes soy/rice/wheat formulas and does not separate HMTc non-soy subtypes beyond cow-milk formula.
Study Scope
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Product matrix | Cow milk-based phase 1 and phase 2 infant formulas |
| Market | Brazil |
| Excluded formula types | Soy, rice, and wheat protein formulas |
| Analytical method | ICP-MS after digestion |
| Replication | Three batches of each formula; quintuplicate analytical measurements |
| Unit conversion | 1 mg/kg = 1000 ppb |
Measured Formula Findings
| Analyte | Reported concentration | Approximate ppb equivalent | Detection note | Product-row relevance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminum | 0.432 to 1.241 mg/kg | 432 to 1241 ppb | Quantified range | Directly useful for cow milk-based formula powder; market-specific to Brazil. |
| Total arsenic | 0.012 to 0.034 mg/kg | 12 to 34 ppb | Quantified range | Total arsenic only; inorganic arsenic not separately reported. |
| Cadmium | Below LOQ to 0.008 mg/kg; quantified means commonly 0.004 to 0.008 mg/kg | Up to 8 ppb; approximately 4 to 8 ppb where quantified | Some samples below LOQ | Useful formula-powder evidence, but censored values must be handled explicitly. |
| Tin | 0.007 to 0.095 mg/kg | 7 to 95 ppb | Quantified range | Relevant because tin is part of the HMTc testing panel. |
| Total mercury | Not detected or below LOQ | Below method LOQ | Not quantified in formula samples | Total mercury only; methylmercury not measured. |
| Lead | Mostly not detected; quantified product means included 0.011, 0.016, 0.023, and 0.036 mg/kg | 11, 16, 23, and 36 ppb where quantified | Most samples not detected | Useful for product-level lead occurrence, but not a full distribution. |
| Uranium | Not summarized into product-page tables in this pass | Not summarized | Study included uranium | Not part of the current HMTc heavy-metal standards panel. |
Detection Limits Reported
| Analyte | LOD | LOQ |
|---|---|---|
| Aluminum | Not listed in current extraction note | 0.430 mg/kg |
| Total arsenic | Not listed in current extraction note | 0.011 mg/kg |
| Cadmium | Not listed in current extraction note | 0.002 mg/kg |
| Tin | Not listed in current extraction note | 0.005 mg/kg |
| Total mercury | 0.003 mg/kg | 0.011 mg/kg |
| Lead | 0.003 mg/kg | 0.010 mg/kg |
| Uranium | 0.0004 mg/kg | 0.001 mg/kg |
Methods (brief)
Three batches of each infant formula were analyzed, with quintuplicate analytical measurements. Toxic metals and metalloids were measured by ICP-MS. Values are reported as mg/kg and converted to ppb here using 1 mg/kg = 1000 ppb.
Limitations
The study excludes soy, rice, and wheat formulas. Arsenic is total arsenic, mercury is total mercury, and chromium/nickel are not part of this study’s reported toxic-element panel. Values are market-specific to Brazil.
Implications
- Certification: Useful A-tier formula-powder concentration evidence for Al, tAs, Cd, Sn, Pb, tHg, and U.
- Courses: Useful example of why formula evidence must preserve formula type and market scope.
- App: Supports broad formula risk evidence; should not be generalized to soy formula.
- Microbiome: No direct microbiome endpoint.
Wiki pages updated on ingest
Update history
The five most recent substantive edits to this page, classified major (evidence or structure moved), correction (a published value or statement was wrong and has been fixed), or minor (narrative rewritten without changing the underlying evidence). Each description is derived from what the edit did to this page; the linked commit is the authoritative record, routine regeneration passes are excluded, and the full version history lives in git. When DOI minting comes online (see schema docs), each entry below will also link to a version-pinned DataCite DOI.
| Commit | Date | Change | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| a8052bb | 2026-08-09 | major | 9 sections added; narrative text revised |