Overview
Antoine and colleagues measured aluminum, arsenic, cadmium and lead in the edible portions of 13 Jamaican-grown crops, including the fruits ackee and banana, collected from markets and farms across the island. They used atomic absorption spectrometry and neutron activation analysis and estimated daily intakes, hazard quotients and arsenic cancer risk. Table 1 gives one fresh-weight mean per crop.
Key numbers
- Banana: aluminum 93.12, arsenic 0.104, cadmium 0.057, lead 0.010 mg/kg fresh weight (Table 1).
- Ackee aril: aluminum 6.89, arsenic 0.011, cadmium 0.248, lead 0.033 mg/kg fresh weight (Table 1).
- Highest lead mean: cassava 0.100 mg/kg; highest cadmium mean: turnip 0.286 mg/kg (Table 1).
Methods (brief)
Samples were brushed, washed, peeled, dried at up to 60 C and ground; ackee aril was analysed fresh. Acid digestion with flame and graphite furnace AAS, plus INAA for aluminum, arsenic and cadmium; lead by AAS only. About 10% duplicates and certified reference materials (NIST 1573a, NIST 1547, IAEA 336) with recoveries within 10%.
Evidence Fitness
Good analytical QA, but Table 1 gives only means, with no sample counts, dispersion or collection dates. The abstract’s aluminum and cadmium ranges do not match Table 1. Banana and ackee are direct evidence for non-apple fruit; the single fruits are only a proxy for fruit-mixed (mixed fruit products), which is not linked. Arsenic is total arsenic.