Aluminium, lead, cadmium and mercury levels in human food chain (in Karnataka, India) and their interaction with micronutrients - Copper, iron, zinc and vitamin A. Highlights and achievements

The toxic metals like cadmium, lead and mercury get into the food chain due to environmental contamination. The intake of toxic metals like lead, cadmium, mercury and aluminium by the people in the developing countries is comparatively more than their counterparts in the developed countries. This may be due to prevalence of higher amounts of these metals in the minerals or due to inadequate measures and enforcement regulation to control the entry of toxic metals into food chain. This is of great concern from the point of protecting the health of people in developing countries. It is also reported that these toxic metals also affect the nutritional status of essential micronutrients like Cu, Fe, Zn and Vitamin A in the human system. These micronutrients are required for good health and longevity and their availability is influenced by several dietary inhibitors including heavy metals. Therefore, the present study was taken up to study the prevalence of these metals in the most viable source of food commodities which contributes to this contamination