Community members of Mamavation asked us about the levels of heavy metals and microplastics found in sea salt and Himalayan salt products. To find out, we sent 23 popular salt products to an EPA-certified laboratory.
Would you like to know the levels of heavy metals and microplastics in your favorite sea salt or Himalayan salt?
Join us as we reveal the results of the 23 salt products tested for metals like aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead, as well as microplastics. The scientific reviews were conducted by experts from Carnegie Mellon University and Environmental Health Sciences.
It’s important to note that the industry and products can change without notice, so buyer beware. This post contains affiliate links, and donations were provided by Mamavation community members to fund the testing.
Aluminum, Arsenic, Cadmium, and Lead Found in Salt Brands
The average American consumes more sodium than recommended, mainly from processed foods. Cooking meals from scratch can help reduce sodium intake. However, the quality of salt used also matters, as some toxic metals and microplastics can be present.
Mamavation tested 23 salt products for heavy metals and microplastics. While no product had levels requiring a Prop. 65 warning, all products contained detectable amounts of metals. Here are the findings:
– 78% of salt products contained aluminum, with 35% having over 100,000 ppb.
– Arsenic was found in all products, with 74% having over 10 ppb.
– Cadmium was present in 70% of products, with 4% having over 4.1 ppb.
– Mercury was not detected in any products.
– Lead was found in 96% of products.
– Microplastics were too minute to be conclusively detected.
California’s Prop. 65 has stricter levels for heavy metals than the FDA, requiring warnings instead of banning products. It’s essential to be aware of these levels to make informed choices when shopping.
Requiring this information helps consumers in California make informed decisions regarding their exposure to chemicals. The No Significant Risk Levels (NSRL) and Maximum Allowable Dose Levels (MADL) established by California for the heavy metals tested are as follows:
– Arsenic: 0.06 ug/day (inhalation), 10 ug/day (except inhalation)
– Cadmium: 0.05 ug/day (inhalation), 4.1 ug/day (oral)
– Lead: 0.5 ug/day level for reproductive toxicity, 15 ug/day (oral) for carcinogens
– Mercury: No established levels (no seafood warnings required)
– Aluminum: No established levels (no salt product warnings required)
Understanding Proposition 65 can be complex, as it focuses on the potential risk of cancer or reproductive harm over a 70-year period rather than just test results. If a contaminant is naturally occurring, companies may avoid warning labels. Legal assistance is often needed to navigate these complexities. In this case, no salt products tested required a warning label under California law.
Regarding aluminum in food and European standards, aluminum is naturally occurring and used in various food products in the US, with no specific standards set. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend tolerable intake levels. EFSA suggests a tolerable weekly intake of 1 mg/kg body weight/week, while WHO increased this to 2 mg/kg body weight. This information can help individuals make informed choices about their dietary aluminum intake.
Heavy metals can find their way into salt through various means, such as natural occurrence in soil, legacy pesticide use, manufacturing contamination, storage practices, and air pollution. Understanding these potential sources can help consumers make informed decisions about their salt consumption. Estábamos felices de ver que el mercurio no fue detectado en todas las muestras de sal.
Aditivos alimentarios: algunos aditivos alimentarios podrían estar contaminados con metales pesados, o como en el caso del aluminio, podría ser en sí un aditivo alimentario.
Investigación de Sales para Metales Pesados y Datos Crudos
Para resumir, Mamavation envió 23 productos de sal a un laboratorio certificado por la EPA para probar aluminio, arsénico, cadmio, mercurio y plomo. El 100% de los productos de sal tenían cantidades detectables de metales pesados y esos niveles y tipos de metales pesados variaban. Aquí hay un par de notas a considerar antes de leer los datos en bruto:
El laboratorio también buscó microplásticos utilizando imágenes espectroscópicas infrarrojas transformadas de Fourier (FTIR). Se encontraron microplásticos, pero no estaban en niveles lo suficientemente altos como para que la prueba reconociera de manera concluyente qué tipo de microplásticos eran.
Partes por mil millones es ppm y partes por millón es ppb
1 ppm = 1,000 ppb
MRL significa Niveles Máximos de Residuos, lo que significaba que el laboratorio podía detectar algunos metales, pero era tan bajo que no podían medir la cantidad exacta
Dividimos los 23 productos de sal en 3 categorías según los niveles de contaminación. Estos niveles reflejan los niveles generales de contaminación por metales pesados en cada producto, pero no siguen recomendaciones específicas del gobierno.
[Actualización: Se añadieron 3 productos de sal adicionales a esta investigación el 13/02/24 y están marcados con un ** en la categoría de “no son nuestros favoritos”.]
• Productos de sal que no son nuestros favoritos: estos productos de sal representaron las mayores cantidades de metales pesados según nuestro laboratorio. El aluminio se informa en ppm, mientras que otros metales pesados se informan en ppb.
En esta categoría, encontrarás entre 29 ppm y 242 ppm de aluminio, 12,53 ppb y 82,156 ppb de arsénico, no detectable a 7,32 ppb de cadmio, todo mercurio no detectable, y entre 92,56 ppb y 553,44 ppb de plomo.
[Actualización: Añadimos 3 productos de sal adicionales a esta investigación por popularidad entre la audiencia y están al final de esta categoría marcados con un **.]