Heavy metals in canned eggplant in Tehran, Iran: a health risk assessment study using Monte Carlo simulation

The present study evaluated the amount of heavy metals in canned eggplants sold in Tehran. After acid digestion, 50 canned eggplant samples were injected into the inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) device. 65% HNO 3 was used for acid digestion of samples. After determining the concentration of metals in the samples, estimated daily intake and non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk assessments were also done. For this purpose, Monte Carlo simulation analysis was applied in Crystal Ball software. Monte Carlo simulation enhances the accuracy of health risk assessment by incorporating variability and uncertainty in input parameters and provides a more comprehensive and realistic estimation of potential health risks. The average concentration of metals is 0.03 ± 0.03, 2 ± 1, 8 ± 2.5, 0.15 ± 0.09, 0.4 ± 0.6, and 2 ± 1 mg/kg for arsenic, copper, iron, lead, tin, and zinc, respectively. The metal levels in the samples were within standard limits. The health risk assessment shows that for both age groups, the target hazard quotient (THQ) values were less than one, and values of incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) were below E-4. Based on our findings, canned eggplant available in the Tehran market cannot pose a safety risk for Iranian children and adults. • This research provides information about the levels of heavy metals in canned eggplant. • Mercury and cadmium were not detected in any of the samples. • The amounts of detected metals were within the permissible limits. • Risk assessments shown canned eggplant intake does not pose significant health risks.