Contamination of Cows Milk by Heavy Metal in Egypt Farag Malhat • Mohammed Hagag • Ayman Saber • Abd Elsalam Fayz Received: 24 October 2011 / Accepted: 27 January 2012 / Published online: 10 February 2012 Ó Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2012 Abstract The present investigation was carried out to assess the residues levels of five metals (Cadmium, Copper, Lead, Iron and Zinc) in cow milk collected from different sites in El-Qaliubiya governorate, Egypt. A total of 100 cow milk samples were collected from twenty cows in each location sites during the morning milking in the period from March to April, 2011. The highest average concen- tration are those of iron (16.38 lg/g) followed by zinc (10.75 lg/g) and lead (4.404 lg/g), while the lowest mean concentration are 2.836 and 0.288 lg/g for copper and cadmium, respectively. The results showed that most of the milk samples from the different sites containing all the studied metals with concentration higher than those rec- ommended for milk by international dairy federation standard and Codex. Keywords Metals Á Milk Á Contamination Milk is known as an excellent source of Ca, and it can supply smaller amount of Zn and very small contents of Fe and Cu (Pennigton et al. 1995). In the last few years, the contami- nation of milk is considered as one of the main dangerous aspects (Abou Ayana et al. 2011). Trace metals are a general collective term applying to the group of metals and metal- loids with an atomic density greater than 6 g/cm. This term is widely recognized and usually applied to the elements such as Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb and Zn which is commonly associated with pollution and toxicity problems (Alloway and Ayres 1993). Unlike most organic pollutants, trace metals occur naturally in rock forming and are minerals. Pollution gives rise to high concentrations of the metals relative to the normal back- ground levels; therefore, the presence of the metal is insuf- ficient evidence of pollution. Although metals differ widely in their chemical properties they are used widely in elec- tronics machines and the artifacts of everyday life. Agri- culture constitutes one of the very important non-point sources of metals pollutants. The main sources are impurities in fertilizers, pesticides and sewage sludge. Increased industrialization and agricultural activities has been accompanied throughout the world by the extraction and distribution of mineral substances from their natural deposits (Wahlberg et al. 2001). Metal contamination raises envi- ronmental concerns, such as influences on the food chain, which can be potentially harmful to humans. Inorganic compounds such as trace metal are shown to have a multitude of toxic effects such as acute syndrome and neurotoxic effects (that ultimately cause disease in brain, kidney, skin cancer, etc.). Cd and Pb are two of the more toxic food chain contaminants. Cd damages the lungs and causes the painful Itai–Itai disease. Pb affects the blood, numerous organs, and the nervous system. Children are especially susceptible to toxic metal effects because the incipient development in the digestive tract produces high absorption (Jeng et al. 1994). The consumption of cow milk is very popular in Egypt because of its medicinal and dietary properties. Consump- tion of cow milk in particular is associated with beneficial health effects beyond its pure nutritional value. In spite of heightened concern and pollution programs, very little is currently known about the distribution, behavior, and effects of trace metals in the cow milk in Egypt. Particularly, this study was designed to investigate the levels of some metals in cow milk collected from different sites in El-Qaliubiya governorate, Egypt. F. Malhat (&) Á M. Hagag Á A. Saber Á A. E. Fayz Pesticide Residues and Environmental Pollution Department, Central Agricultural Pesticide Laboratory, Agriculture Research Center, Dokki, Giza, Egypt e-mail: farag_malhat@yahoo.com 123 Bull Environ Contam Toxicol (2012) 88:611–613 DOI 10.1007/s00128-012-0550-x