Determination, distribution, and health risk assessment of 12 heavy metals in various edible oils in Taiwan

Background: Minimizing the risk of heavy metal pollution is of utmost importance to ensure consumer safety. In this research, we utilized inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry to determine the presence of 12 heavy metals in Taiwanese commercial edible oils, both refined and unrefined. Results: Our analytical findings revealed significantly lower levels of heavy metals in refined oils compared with unrefined oils. Through principal component analysis and cluster analysis of 19 types of edible oils, we identified Cd, Ba, Fe, Pb, and Co as the primary variables influencing heavy metal levels in edible oils. Notably, the heavy metal contents in the edible oils did not surpass international standards. Risk assessment results indicated that unrefined oils carried higher risk levels than refined oils. The incremental lifetime cancer risk values calculated for unrefined oils exceeded 10−6 in all age groups except for the 19 ~ 65 years category, while the noncarcinogenic risks remained well below 1, regardless of refined or unrefined oils. Conclusions: Our study sheds light on the distribution characteristics of heavy metal contents in edible oils, highlighting higher levels of heavy metals and associated risks in non-refined oils compared with refined oils. Ultimately, the presence of heavy metals in edible oils poses low health risks to the human body.