We all know about mercury and arsenic, what they can do to our bodies, and which foods are often contaminated with these toxic metals. We’ve also heard about cadmium in cereal grains and potatoes, and lead in baby foods, fruit juices and root vegetables.

If you’re wondering where these heavy metals come from, you can blame emissions from rapidly expanding industrial areas, unethical farming practices, wastewater irrigation and improper disposal of high metal waste for their presence in soil.

But their impact not only affects the environment and ecosystems. These toxic metals also make their way to our tables and into our bodies through the foods that we eat. Many of the foods we buy in groceries which we think are healthy (and are supposed to be) — like fruits, vegetables and grains — absorb heavy metals from contaminated soil.

Antimony: sources and health hazards

When it comes to toxic food and soil pollutants, antimony isn’t as widely discussed as lead, cadmium, arsenic or mercury. This element is classified as both a metal and a metalloid, meaning it has properties that are a mix between metals and nonmetals.

Antimony is naturally present at low levels in the environment, and soils typically contain no more than 1 part per million (ppm) antimony. At this concentration, antimony is not harmful to people, nor does it accumulate inside the body unlike well-known, toxic heavy metals. However, chronic exposure to antimony — usually via inhalation or consumption of contaminated drinking water — does cause serious consequences, such as:

• Lung inflammation
• Altered lung function
• Chronic bronchitis
• Chronic emphysema (shortness of breath)
• Inactive tuberculosis
• Increased blood pressure
• Heart muscle damage
• Gastrointestinal disorders
• Liver fibrosis (observed in animal studies)

According to studies, antimony emission into the environment is exclusively the result of human activity. The most common form of pollutant antimony is antimony tin oxide (ATO), a highly insoluble and thermally stable source of aluminum. ATO is released into the environment through the burning of coal and the smelting of antimony-containing ores.

Higher-than-normal concentrations of antimony have also been detected at certain sites, particularly where antimony is processed for industrial use (e.g., factories) and around sites where hazardous waste is dumped. Although it doesn’t accumulate in the human body, antimony can be absorbed and accumulate in plants.

A 2015 study by Chinese researchers reported high levels of antimony in certain vegetables grown near an antimony mining site in Hunan, China. Coriander and wild carrot, in particular, appeared to have a higher capacity for absorbing antimony than other vegetables like Welsh onion and Chinese cabbage.

The researchers noted that the daily antimony intake of people who consumed produce from farms near the mine was over the safe limit recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). They believe that long-term consumption of antimony-contaminated veggies would bring serious health risks.

Antimony also affects the nutritional value of food

In addition to causing lung, heart and liver damage, the presence of antimony in soil also alters the nutrient content of certain foods. In a study published early this year, researchers from Shanghai conducted a simple experiment to determine the effects of antimony contamination on the nutrient composition of green leafy vegetables like beet greens, mallow and Chinese cabbage.

They planted the three vegetables in flowerpots and poured a solution containing antimony in each. They then looked at the changes in the vegetables’ calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu) and iodine (I) content in the presence of antimony.

The researchers reported that of the three vegetables, beet greens had the highest protein content naturally. But this gradually dropped as the concentration of antimony in soil increased. In comparison, the protein content of mallow and Chinese cabbage did not change significantly under the same conditions.

On the other hand, the researchers found that except for Ca and I, the levels of other minerals in beets increased with increasing antimony levels, while the Mn and Zn content of mallow were reduced to the lowest. Meanwhile, the mineral content of Chinese cabbage did not change as much as the other two did.

Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that antimony in soil can reduce the nutrient content of certain vegetables, as seen in mallow and beet greens. On the other hand, it can also increase the amount of certain nutrients, such as Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu in beets. While this seems like a positive thing, it does not take away from the fact that ingesting high amounts of antimony will have a negative effect on your health. To avoid antimony-laden produce, opt for fresh organic produce, as these foods are grown far away from industrial areas and without the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, which are sometimes formulated with antimony and other harmful compounds.

Sources:

EDF.org

Hindawi.com 1

Hindawi.com 2

EPA.gov ^[PDF]

WHO.int ^[PDF]

Link.Springer.com