Estimation and comparison the levels of some heavy metals in fast food (Chicken Shawarma) during the morning and evening hours from restaurants in some areas in the city of Tobruk, Libya

Environmental pollution is one of the main issues that affect human and animal health, and heavy metals are one of the main causes of pollution. The aim of the study was to estimate the concentration of heavy metals: iron, nickel, zinc, lead, copper and cadmium in chicken shawarma in some restaurants in Tobruk, Libya in the morning and evening periods, and the results showed that chicken shawarma contains higher concentrations of heavy metals ranging from (9.66-1.23mg/L) for iron, copper (4.20-8.65mg/L), cadmium (0.011-0.18mg/L) and lead (0.028-0.052mg/L) in morning and evening periods compared to FAO (1983), WHO (2000) and FDA (2001). No value was found for nickel and zinc in the samples Keywords: Heavy metals, chicken shawarma, atomic absorption Spectrometry (AAS), Tobruk, Libya.