Parker 2022 — Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead, And Mercury In Baby Foods
Summary
This peer-reviewed study measured total arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead in 36 US baby and toddler food samples across four ingredient categories: fruit, grain, leguminous vegetable, and root vegetable. It is valuable for Category 1 because it reports n, detection frequency, minimum, mean, median, maximum, and standard deviation by matrix.
Study Scope
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Product scope | Baby and toddler foods targeted to children from four months to three years |
| Total sample size | 36 products |
| Category sample size | 9 fruit, 9 grain, 9 leguminous vegetable, 9 root vegetable |
| Purchase frame | Five supermarket chain locations in and around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, December 2018 to March 2019 |
| Product types | Organic and non-organic products in jars and pouches; three distinct lots per product type |
| Analytical method | ICP-MS after heat-block assisted acid digestion, FDA EAM Method 4.7 |
| Quantification range | As, Cd, Pb: 0.010 to 25.0 mg/kg; Hg: 0.010 to 2.50 mg/kg |
| LOD | 0.003 mg/kg, equivalent to 3 ug/kg, for As, Cd, Pb, and Hg |
| Non-detect handling | Non-detects assigned one-half LOD, 1.5 ug/kg, for risk assessment |
| Non-quantifiable handling | Between LOD and LLOQ assigned one-half LLOQ, 5 ug/kg |
Concentration Distribution By Ingredient Category
All values are in ug/kg, equivalent to ppb, from Table 4. Arsenic and mercury were measured as total elemental concentrations; speciation was not performed.
| Analyte | Category | N | Detection frequency | Minimum | Mean | Median | Maximum | SD | Table |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total arsenic | Fruit | 9 | 6/9, 67% | 1.5 | 3.8 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 1.8 | Table 4 |
| Total arsenic | Grain | 9 | 9/9, 100% | 10.0 | 90.4 | 126.0 | 132.0 | 54.4 | Table 4 |
| Total arsenic | Leguminous vegetable | 9 | 7/9, 78% | 1.5 | 4.2 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 1.5 | Table 4 |
| Total arsenic | Root vegetable | 9 | 9/9, 100% | 5.0 | 10.8 | 12.0 | 22.0 | 5.4 | Table 4 |
| Cadmium | Fruit | 9 | 3/9, 33% | 1.5 | 4.4 | 1.5 | 16.0 | 5.2 | Table 4 |
| Cadmium | Grain | 9 | 9/9, 100% | 12.0 | 25.8 | 20.0 | 61.0 | 16.9 | Table 4 |
| Cadmium | Leguminous vegetable | 9 | 0/9, 0% | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 0.0 | Table 4 |
| Cadmium | Root vegetable | 9 | 6/9, 67% | 1.5 | 3.8 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 1.8 | Table 4 |
| Total mercury | Fruit | 9 | 0/9, 0% | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 0.0 | Table 4 |
| Total mercury | Grain | 9 | 0/9, 0% | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 0.0 | Table 4 |
| Total mercury | Leguminous vegetable | 9 | 0/9, 0% | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 0.0 | Table 4 |
| Total mercury | Root vegetable | 9 | 0/9, 0% | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 0.0 | Table 4 |
| Lead | Fruit | 9 | 3/9, 33% | 1.5 | 2.7 | 1.5 | 5.0 | 1.8 | Table 4 |
| Lead | Grain | 9 | 9/9, 100% | 5.0 | 9.7 | 5.0 | 20.0 | 7.0 | Table 4 |
| Lead | Leguminous vegetable | 9 | 2/9, 22% | 1.5 | 2.3 | 1.5 | 5.0 | 1.5 | Table 4 |
| Lead | Root vegetable | 9 | 8/9, 88% | 1.5 | 15.8 | 5.0 | 48.0 | 15.6 | Table 4 |
Distribution Limits
The authors state that each ingredient category had small sample size, N = 9, and that most samples across elements and categories were below the LOD. They therefore did not fit distributions, did not calculate a valid 95% upper confidence limit, and used maximum concentrations as upper-bound exposure concentrations. The public wiki should not infer p90 or p95 values from this study.
Risk Findings
| Finding | Source detail |
|---|---|
| Arsenic non-cancer HQs exceeded 1.0 for grain products across age groups under mean, median, and maximum concentration assumptions. | Section 3.2 |
| Arsenic cancer risk was driven by grain products, and the authors note that two of the three grain products were rice-based. | Discussion |
| Cadmium and mercury did not produce expected non-cancer risks for any age group even at maximum concentrations. | Discussion |
| Lead non-cancer risk signals were observed for fruit, grain, and root vegetable categories under selected exposure assumptions, with root vegetable and grain products being the more relevant categories. | Sections 3.2 and Discussion |
| The highest predicted daily lead dose from baby food was 1.77 ug/day, below FDA’s interim daily intake level discussed by the authors. | Discussion |
Limitations
This study measured total arsenic and total mercury, not inorganic arsenic or methylmercury. It had only nine samples per ingredient category, and many values were censored by LOD or LLOQ substitution. The authors explicitly state that the data were insufficient to fit a distribution or calculate a valid 95% upper confidence limit.
Implications
- Certification: Useful A-tier matrix-specific concentration evidence for grain, root vegetable, fruit, and leguminous vegetable baby foods, but not a source for p90 or p95 values.
- Courses: Strong example of transparent LOD/LLOQ handling and why maximum values are not the same thing as percentiles.
- App: Supports category risk flags for rice/grain and root vegetable rows, with total-As/speciation caveats.
- Microbiome: No direct microbiome endpoint.