Author: Alisha Hussain
Publisher: Hamza Rajput
Designer: Umer
Your dark chocolate may contain lead and cadmium.
Experts at Consumer Reports recently analyzed the number of heavy metals in 28 dark chocolate bars to determine just how much of a risk these popular snacks represent. Cadmium and lead were found in all of them.
Heavy Metals in Dark Chocolate
CR reviewed a variety of brands, including smaller brands like Alter Eco and Mast, as well as more popular brands like Dove and Ghirardelli.
According to public health officials and CR experts, 23 times, consuming just one ounce per day will put an adult above the level that may be dangerous for at least one of the heavy metals. Five bars exceeded the limits for cadmium and lead.
This is dangerous stuff: Long-term exposure to trace levels of heavy metals can cause a host of health problems.
According to Tunde Akinley, CR food safety expert, the risk is higher for pregnant women and young children as metals can cause developmental problems, reduced brain development, and lower IQ.
"However, there are risks for individuals of all ages," he warns. Lead poisoning can cause nervous system disorders, high blood pressure, immune system suppression, kidney damage, and reproductive problems in adults. According to market research firm Mintel, 15 percent of Americans eat chocolate daily. Even if you don't eat a lot of chocolate, lead and cadmium can be dangerous.
Still, Akinley believes you don't have to give up chocolate entirely. He added that, while the majority of chocolate bars tested by CR had high levels of lead, cadmium, or both, five of them had relatively low amounts of both."This shows that businesses can make products with lower concentrations of heavy metals and that consumers can make safer product choices," he says.
