Physical–chemical parameters and the level of heavy metals in cow milk in the Baia Mare area

Heavy metals are important pollutants in the environment and can cause problems for the organisms, and the bioaccumulation of heavy metals in the food chain can have adverse effects on human health. Regulations on the legally accepted amounts of heavy metals in food and in the body are very precise. The purpose of this paper was to evaluate the level of heavy metals in cow milk from different localities in the Baia Mare area, considered a very polluted area. The physical–chemical parameters and heavy metals in milk were determined. The determination of heavy metals in milk was performed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry or ICP– MS used to identify and quantify the Pb, Cd, Cu, and Zn elements. The highest concentrations of Pb were observed in samples collected in Firiza locality with an average value of (43.22±0.62) (μg/L) and the lowest concentrations are for the samples analyzed in Săcălăşeni (11.53±0.33) (mg/L) (μg/L). Cd in milk did not show very large variations between localities, so the lowest concentrations were recorded in Săcălăşeni (4.32±0.13) and the highest ones were observed in the locality Firiza (10.93±0.39) (μg/L). The highest concentrations were observed for the Zn in milk, with an interval between (2255.20±7.14) (μg/L) in Săcălăşeni and (3855.80±5.11) (μg/L) for the analyzed samples from Firiza. Keyword: milk, fat, proteins, Zn, Cd, Cu, Pb.