Chocolate could have more lead than previous estimates, according to a new scientific study at George Washington University.
The researchers found that almost 50% of dark chocolate and cocoa products could contain more lead than is safe.
While “safe” is a relative word when describing various scientific measures, it can mean much when it applies to popular edibles.
42% Above Norm
According to the study, chocolate that scientists tested had 42% to 43% lead above the norm, 35% excess cadmium and 0% arsenic. Lead and cadmium are two toxic metals that are found in anything from soil to smelted metal.
The study’s measuring standard was California’s Proposition 65 of 1986, which has stricter limits than other standards. In comparison, under the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s standard, the same chocolate would have brought only 3% lead limit excess.
Furthermore, the above-norm results were not equally distributed across some 70 cocoa products from major American retailers that the researchers tested.
Chocolate bars led the levels that ranged from 0 to 3.315 micrograms (mcg) of lead. However, these levels varied from one bar to the next. In context, California’s Prop 65 recommends a heavy metal maximum in food of less than 0.5 mcg.
This suggests that chocolate lovers could still enjoy candy but according to the researchers, they should reduce the intake. This finding could therefore inform consumer choices at a time when cocoa products are getting expensive.
Benefits of Chocolate
The above data undercuts earlier findings on potential chocolate benefits, on the same journal that published this latest lead contamination study.
Indeed, the journal Frontiers in Nutrition had reported that dark chocolate and cocoa contains polyphenols with anti-inflammatory benefits.
These benefits especially apply to aged people who can gain neurovascular strengths from chocolate compounds.
Additionally, the polyphenols also increase good bacteria in the gut and reduce unwanted microorganisms, which is good for gastric health.
All in all, eating chocolate in large quantities, as the most recent study shows, could also lead to heavy metal exposure. It is not just chocolate as even brown rice, certain fish and vegetables sometimes have lead samples in them. And as the statistics below show, lead contamination in anything from food to non-organic things is a worldwide concern.
World Lead Contamination Statistics
Lead is a heavy metal from the earth’s crust, which poisons blood when it enters the body in high quantities. Its blood content measurement is in milligrams per deciliter (ug/dl). About 1% of world diseases emanate from lead contamination, both non-food and food-related. Some of the results of lead contact is a stunted Intelligence Quotient (IQ), which tends to be strongest during early childhood. Inhaling substances during the smelting of metals, drinking water from lead-jointed pipes, and consuming contaminated food can all lead to exposure. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), chemical exposure (including lead) caused almost 50% of some 2 million deaths from known chemicals in 2019.
Which non-food measures have reduced lead contamination?
As of 2021, no country was selling motor oil with lead concentration, which had been a major source of exposure. However, as of 2023, just 48% of nations had controlled the use of lead paints, another major source of exposure.
Which parts of the world have most lead poisoning?
Ann interactive map by Lead Pollution.org for people aged less than 20 years shows that lead contamination varies by region. Most nations in Africa and south Asia have people with between 5 to 20 ug/dl in their blood lead levels (BLL). In the Democratic Republic of Congo, for instance, BLL levels are at 6.8 ug/dl versus India’s 5.7 ug/dl. Most of Asia is in the moderate region of 2 to 3 ug/dl levels. The lowest levels of between 0 and 1 ug/dl BLL are in Scandinavia and the United States while Europe has under 2 ug/dl.
How many people die from lead poisoning per year?
In 2021, at least 94 people in every 100,000 died of lead poisoning in Egypt at the highest. This compares to 2 per every 100,000 individuals in Japan at the lowest. Globally, food-related diseases (including those from heavy metals) infect 600 million people and cause 420,000 deaths yearly, according to WHO.