Analysis of food contamination caused by lead,cadmium,arsenic and aluminum in Shaoxing city,Zhejiang in 2005

Objective The study was conducted to investigate the food contamination including lead, cadmium, arsenic and aluminum in Shaoxing, Zhejiang. Methods According to the recommended items by the national food contamination monitoring system and the global environmental monitoring system on food (GEMS/FOOD), lead, cadmium and arsenic contamination in local food including cereal, fruits and vegetables, tea, animal and poultry products, aquatic products, edible mushrooms and pickle products, constituting 1523 samples of 31 kinds from 7 categories, was monitored, as well as aluminum in cakes and fried twisted dough. Results The positive rates of lead, total arsenic, inorganic arsenic, cadmium and aluminum in local food of Shaoxing in 2005 were 65.69%, 55.85%, 16.04%, 70.45% and 100%, respectively. The exceeding rate of lead in food on the basis of the International Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) standards was 0.53%, the CAC exceeding rate (standardized) being 0.16%, while a seriously exceeding rate of 10.00% was found in preserved eggs. The international exceeding rate of cadmium in the food (standardized) was 1.08%, the CAC exceeding rate (standardized) being 1.42%. The international exceeding rate of total arsenic in food (standardized) was 7.37%, found in pig kidneys and livers with the exceeding rates of 34.00% and 23.64%, respectively. The international exceeding rate of inorganic arsenic in food (standardized) was 0.27%, the CAC exceeding rate (standardized) being 0.56%. Excessive leavening agent was severe in cakes and fried twisted dough, and thereby the pass rates of them were only 85.00% and 10.00%. Conclusion It is necessary to further strengthen the food safety control, particularly the supervision and management of enterprises manufacturing preserved eggs and booths selling fried twisted dough.