Two anonymous chocolate products from Bwari market contained measurable nickel, iron, copper, chromium and lead. Their reported sample concentrations are preserved independently of inconsistent dispersion, intake means and safety comparisons in the paper.
Key numbers
| Group | Ni mg/kg | Fe mg/kg | Cu mg/kg | Cr mg/kg | Pb mg/kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1.05 | 7.01 | 5 | 3.5 | 0.2 |
| B | 0.91 | 5.95 | 5.02 | 4.66 | 0.29 |
| reported mean | 0.98 | 6.48 | 5.01 | 4.08 | 0.24 |
| reported dispersion | 0.05 | 0.37 | 0.03 | 0.41 | 0.12 |
All 30 source daily-intake estimates from Table 2 are preserved as unvalidated model outputs. The table’s mean rows do not equal the arithmetic mean of its two sample rows.
Methods (brief)
0.2 g chocolate microwave-digested using 2 mL 1: 1 nitric acid/hydrogen peroxide, diluted to 10 mL and measured by flame AAS. Blanks/calibration described; no numeric LOD, recovery or replicate count. Intake scenarios use 20 g/day and 20 kg child, 100 g/day and 70 kg adult. Chocolate composition remains unspecified.
Implications
Provides a small local occurrence observation with anonymous products. It cannot establish market prevalence, source attribution, or a no-risk conclusion. Total Cr is not Cr(VI).
Evidence Fitness: EF-2 for individual product concentrations; EF-X for unreconciled intake means and unsupported blanket safety claims. Mean/dispersion values remain explicitly source-reported.
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Verification notes
Table 3 displays Cu 2.00 andCr 0.11 mg/kg comparators below observed means, contradicting the conclusion that every metal is below its comparator. The discussion also changesCu units. Comparators are not verified WHO instruments and are not entered as legal limits. No brands are exposed. SourcePbmean 0.24 anddispersion 0.12 are retained without silently recalculating. Existing broad chocolate route is used; no dark/milk/cocoa-percentage subgroup inferred.
Table 3 secondary comparator findings and unverified WHO-labelled numbers are retained in the batch context dispositions, without being counted as new primary measurements.
The preserved Library PDF is identified by RPHMI_15; SHA-256 da286ad91846e47265f2caae4cebcd9026184baffa22703c6f874352b1e346c3. The byline, year and publication were verified in the PDF. DOI provenance and any publication-date differences are described above. Original access location: https://discoveryjournals.org/adulteration/current_issue/2025/v9/n10/e2ijad3057.pdf#zoom=125. Source-specific numeric observations, context dispositions, row-fit decisions and remaining gaps are preserved in the structured evidence record. No source value was converted across product, soil, water or experimental matrices during ingest.
Update history
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