Overview
This targeted survey report gives arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury results for 957 retail samples bought across Canada between April 2023 and March 2024. Balsamic vinegar was the only vinegar type sampled. Lead was the most often detected metal, and cassava flour held the highest lead level. No bottled water sample had a detectable toxic metal.
Key numbers
- Balsamic vinegar (n = 249): lead 94% positive, mean of positives 0.028 ppm, maximum 0.127 ppm; total arsenic 76% positive, mean 0.009 ppm; cadmium not detected (Table 2, p. 5).
- Cassava products (n = 261): lead 98% positive, mean 0.278 ppm, maximum 1.40 ppm (Table 2).
- Salt (n = 198): total arsenic mean 0.040 ppm, maximum 0.159 ppm; lead mean 0.129 ppm (Table 2).
Methods (brief)
Samples were tested as sold by an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited contract laboratory; the method is not described. Detection limits were 0.002 to 0.005 ppm depending on the analyte. Averages use only samples with quantifiable levels, so they overstate typical concentrations.
Evidence Fitness
A government monitoring report, not peer reviewed (Health Canada reviewed the results for health concern). Sample numbers are large, but only percent positive, mean of positives and maximum are printed. The cadmium detection share for cassava and salt differs between Table 2 and the text. The vinegar results are for balsamic vinegar, not a dressing: this is a proxy for italian-dressing, which is not linked. Table 3 quotes other studies, which are not recorded here.