Overview
The authors developed isolation protocols for microplastics, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and metals in milk and applied them to retail conventional and organic milk from Romanian markets and to raw farm milk. Metals were measured by ICP-MS in 16 retail samples and reported as ranges in the text, with per-sample values only in a supplementary table and a bar chart. Lead exceeded the 0.020 mg/L Codex and EU level in all but one sample.
Key numbers
- Conventional milk: lead 0.016-0.466 mg/L; cadmium <LOD-0.011 mg/L (detected in two samples) (Section 3.6, p. 16).
- Organic milk: lead 0.042-0.071 mg/L; cadmium below the detection limit in all samples (p. 16).
- Detection limits: lead 10.954 µg/L, cadmium 2.242 µg/L (Table 6).
Methods (brief)
Milk was digested under pressure and analyzed in triplicate by ICP-MS. Detection and quantitation limits were derived from seven blanks. Accuracy was checked with SRM NIST 1869 for chromium, manganese, copper and zinc only (recoveries 96.9 to 100.2%); lead and cadmium were not covered by the reference material check.
Evidence Fitness
Sixteen retail samples from nine brands, reported only as ranges; per-sample results sit in an unavailable supplement. Lead accuracy was not verified against a reference material and the authors call their ICP-MS method semi-quantitative, so the high lead values (up to 0.466 mg/L) need caution. The brands span 1.5 to 3.8% fat but fat per sample is only in the supplement, so the paper cannot be used as direct evidence for reduced-fat milk; it is a proxy.