Safety Assessment of Heavy Metals in Agricultural Products of Korea

This study was conducted to compare and evaluate the heavy metal contents of agricultural products in Korea and to compare with relevant international criteria such as the Average Daily Intake(ADI) and the Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake(PTWI) proposed by the joint FAO/WHO Codex Committee on additives and contaminant. Contents of heavy metal in cereals, pulses, potatoes, vegetables and fruits were in the range of for Cd, for Cu, for Pb, for Zn, for Ni, for Cr and mg/kg(F.W.) for As. Heavy metal contents of cereals, pulses, potatoes, vegetables and fruits were with natural content levels proposed by FAO/WHO and were similar to value monitored in other countries. Also, average intake of heavy metal from agricultural products was lower than the ADI and PTWI by the joint FAO/WHO Codex Committee on Additives and Contaminants. Therefore, none of the cereals, pulses, potatoes, vegetables and fruits evaluated showed accumulation of such heavy metal high enough to cause health problems to human.