Effect of Environmental Factors on Heavy Metal Content of Raw Milk.

This investigation was conducted to determine the contents of some heavy metals in raw milk samples collected from four different regions: industrial, rural, heavy traffic intensity and agricultural regions around İsparta city, Turkey. A total of 86 raw milk samples were collected from these regions, and the contents of Pb, Cd, Cu, Fe, Zn, As, Sn and Hg of milk samples were determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Limit of detection values (LODs) were between 1.00-5 pg/L for the studied elements while recoveries ranged from 91 to 102% and the standard deviations were in the range 1.13 to 4.30%. Pb, Cd, Cu, Fe and Zn were detected in milk while As, Sn and Hg was not detected in milk samples. The highest heavy metal content was found in milk samples collected from the industrial region. According to the statistical analysis, the differences between the regions were statistically significant (p<0.05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]