Overview
This 2026 study measured Pb, Cd, and Hg in 105 samples of commercial dairy-free infant porridges (7 product types, 5 replicates, 3 batches) from the Polish market. Methods: ICP-AES for Pb and Cd; Hg-AAS for mercury. Wet weight basis.
Key numbers
All concentrations wet weight (mg/kg). LOQs: Pb 3.37 µg/kg (0.00337 mg/kg); Cd 0.31 µg/kg; Hg 0.23 µg/kg.
| Metal | Range (mg/kg) | Units equivalence |
|---|---|---|
| Pb | 0.002–0.004 | 2–4 µg/kg |
| Cd | <0.001–0.003 | <1–3 µg/kg |
| tHg | <0.001–0.001 | <1 µg/kg |
All estimated daily intakes (EDI) were below 0.01 µg/kg bw/day for all three metals. All samples within applicable EU limits.
Methods
ICP-AES (Pb, Cd); Hg-AAS (Hg). 7 product types × 5 replicates × 3 batches. LOQ values stated above; many samples at or near LOQ especially for Cd and Hg.
Note: Values near LOQ limit interpretability. Pb 2–4 µg/kg and Cd <1–3 µg/kg are consistent with low-contamination grain-based infant foods.
Implications
Certification: Dairy-free infant porridges at 2–4 µg/kg Pb and <1–3 µg/kg Cd are well below EU MLs (Pb: 20 µg/kg for processed cereal-based foods, Cd: 40 µg/kg). These products represent a relatively clean subcategory of grain-based infant foods.
App: Grain-based dairy-free porridges: low Pb and Cd; Hg below detection.
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 | 6 sections added; narrative text revised |