Determination of Heavy Metals in Various Tissues of Locally Reared (Country) Chicken in major districts of Karnataka, India: Assessment of Potential Health Risks

Food is one of the most prevalent ways that humans are exposed to metals. Heavy metals including Cadmium (Cd), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), and mercury (Hg) are harmful to humans and have a detrimental impact on health because they accumulate in biological organs. The concentration levels of these heavy metals were tested in different edible parts of country (locally raised) chicken from various districts in Karnataka, India, namely Bengaluru, Tumakuru, Mangaluru, and Udupi, using an Atomic-Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). Heavy metal concentrations in various chicken parts were found to be below detectable limits (BDL)-0.0062, 0.027-3.178, and 0.262-2.103 ppm for Cd, Fe, and Zn, respectively, whereas Hg and Pb were BDL. Zinc contents were found to be significantly higher in all chicken samples from all examined districts, followed by iron and cadmium. Mercury and lead concentrations, on the other hand, were below the detection level in all samples. The estimated daily intakes (EDIs) of the observed metals from country chicken consumption were found to be lower than their respective FAO/WHO reference oral doses (RfD). The non-carcinogenic health hazards posed by the tested metals to the target population were estimated using the Hazard Quotient (HQ) and Hazard Index (HI) values. The HQ and HI values observed in this estimation were less than one, indicating that exposure to these heavy metals through consumption of country chicken is unlikely to provide possible health concerns to the examined region's human population.