DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1065/ehs2001.01.001 - - - Bread samples were collected from various districts of Cairo and Ismailia, and their residue contents of some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and some heavy metal were determined. In Cairo, bread samples were mainly collected from streets where bread is sold in the open, exposed to various air-borne contaminants, while in Ismailia bread samples were collected from bakeries. Results indicated the presence of several PAH compounds in bread samples. Benzo (k) flouoranthene was the most omnipresent PAH detected in all samples, while flourene was the least frequently detected. The total concentration of PAHs detected in bread samples ranged between 50 microgram kg-1 and 450 microgram kg-1. Residues of PAHs in bread samples collected from busy streets and urban areas were much higher than those detected in samples collected from streets with light traffic and less urbanized areas. Meanwhile, PAHs of high molecular weight were more prevalent than those of lighter molecular weight. All samples contained detectable concentrations of lead, cadmium, zinc and nickel.
Lead had the highest concentration levels of all detected metals, ranging from 279 g kg-1 to 1017 kg-1, while zinc concentrations were the lowest, ranging from 11 microgram kg-1 to 22 microgram kg-1. The concentrations of PAHs detected in bread samples are much higher than those reported in many European countries. |
