Several micronutrients such as Cr, Mn, Fe, Cu,Zn, etc. constitute a small fraction of our diet and play animportant role in metabolic processes. Their excess or deficiency may disturb normal biochemical functions of the body.
In European Union, maximum limits are set for cadmium and lead in vegetables (Reg UE 420/2011, Reg 1881/2006) while there are no official limits for micronutrients in these matrices. However, as part of its risk assessments of contaminants in food, when possible (i.e. when sufficient information is available), EFSA ( European Food Safety Authority) establishes a Tolerable Daily or Weekly Intake (TDI/TWI) for these substances, e.g.the established TDI for Cr(III) is 300μg /kg b.w.per day...(in attachment)
so my suggestion is to have a look to the EFSA web site http://www.efsa.europa.eu
best regards
stefania
This would vary depending on the country. In the US, lead, arsenic, and cadmium are measured in the water supplies. In foods there are regulations for many compounds by code 21 by the Food and Drug Administration. Here is helpful website with allowable limits:
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?CFRPart=172&showFR=1 Food and Drug Administration.
People are not concerned about an overdose of elements that are beneficial to human health. Toxic affects resulting from an excess intake of them are not usual in healthy people living on normal diet while their deficiency is public health problem in many countries. You may find tolerable upper limit (UL) of intake for in some tables such as US dietary reference intake table. However, the limits set in the USRDI table may not be applicable to Indians. The amount of minerals in diet that enters the system depends on composition of diet. For example, bioavailability of iron in an American diet may be as high as 25%, while that of non-rice eating vegetarians, it will be under 5%. Hence an UL of 40mg Fe may actually cause deficiency in most Indian people. For toxic elements, upper limit of average daily intake (eg EFSA) in body weight basis may be considered. Note that if you consider upper limit in foods, this will vary by community. Higher the consumption of a food item by a population group, lower the UL of toxic material in that food item for that population group should be.
Moududur, while I agree with your assessment of essential minerals, I disagree with making the upper limit of toxic materials correspond to the 'average' community consumption. Communities are comprised of individuals and as such, communities are in a state of flux. The health of a few outliers is equally important in considering the upper limits. it should be based on the maximum that could be eaten per day and the cumulative effects if this amount were to be eaten over time.
Sorry. I meant an individual's average intake of toxic minerals over a reasonable period of time, not the population average. This average also excludes an accidental or deliberate exposure to a megadose on a single day, which should be handled differently.
Can anyone mention the non toxic range of Zn, Fe, Cu, Mg, K, Ca, Na, Li and Cl
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