A Literature Review on the Levels of Toxic Metals/Metalloids in Meat and Meat Products in Asian Countries: Human Health Risks

Although it is well established that meat and meat products provide essential nutrients for human development and health, inadequate or inappropriate consumption of these foods can also lead to various health problems. Moreover, in 2015, the IARC classified the consumption of red meat and processed meat as "probably carcinogenic to humans" and as "carcinogenic to humans," respectively. However, the exposure to environmental (organic and inorganic) contaminants through the consumption of meat and meat products was not then discussed. In this paper, the recent scientific literature on human exposure to metals and metalloids through the consumption of meat and meat products has been reviewed, with a main focus on toxic metals and metalloids such as As, Cd, Hg, and Pb. According to PubMed and Scopus, Asia is the continent for which the most data have been reported since 2000, with China specifically being the country with the highest number of available papers on the topic of the present review. Therefore, this review has been focused only on Asian countries. As expected, the concentrations of metals and metalloids in meat and meat products, as well as the estimated intake derived from that consumption, have shown notable differences among regions and countries. However, as has also been previously observed for organic pollutants, the group of meat and meat products is not being, at least in Asian countries, one of the most relevant food groups contributing to human dietary exposure to toxic metals and metalloids.