Survey on the amount of cadmium in milk and its correlation with milk production in dairy farms of Tabriz area

Cadmium is a metal widely dispersed in the environment. The main sources of this metal are industrial compounds and phosphate fertilizers. This metal is absorbed by plants and accumulates and accumulates in tissues like liver and kidney and causes anemia, hypertension, destruction of testicular tissue and bone complications. Considering the numerous side effects of cadmium, it is necessary to determine the amount of cadmium in milk in different areas in order to reduce milk contamination. In this study, a total of 400 milk samples were obtained from industrial and traditional farms from northern, southern, eastern and western areas of the city of Tabriz. All samples were frozen at -21°C and the concentration of cadmium in milk was measured by atomic flame spectrophotometry. The average values of cadmium in western, southern, northern and eastern areas of Tabriz were respectively 0/006 ± 0/0005 ppm, 0/0005 ± 0/004 ppm, 0/0004± 0/0059 ppm and 0/0002 ± 0/0037 ppm. Statistical comparison of cadmium concentrations in different areas indicated a significant difference (p<0/05). Also, a statistically significant relationship between the mean values of cadmium and daily milk production wasn't observed. Since the permitted levels of cadmium in raw milk according to Codex 2000 (Review Committee on Food Additives Geneva) is 0.01 ppm, therefore it is concluded that cadmium levels in the four regions studied is lower than the limit. Conflict of interest: None declared.