Health Risk Assessment of Some Metals in Commonly Consumed Edible Vegetable Oils Sold in Sango-Ota, Southwestern Nigeria

Bukunola Oguntade, Olajumoke Pikuda, Oluwafisayomi Oluwakeyede, Cecilia Ojemade and Chionyedua Onwordi, Volume 6 Issue 2, December 2025 Pages 82-97, Published: 2025-12-19

Abstract

The presence of metals in edible oils poses significant health risks to consumers due to their potential toxicity and bioaccumulation. In this study, the concentration of Aluminium (Al), Calcium (Ca), chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), cobalt (Co), sodium (Na), and copper (Cu), were investigated in six (6) commonly available edible oil samples namely: palm kernel oil. olive oil, melon seed oil, coconut oil. corn oil and sunflower oil sold in Sango-Ota, Southwestern Nigeria. The determination of these metals was carried out using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The metal concentrations range from 2.23-5.90 mg/kg (Ca), 0.53-1.26 mg/kg (Fe), 0.05-0.56 mg/kg (Mg), 0.71-1.35 mg/kg (K), 6.46-10.54 mg/kg (Na), 0.06-1.19 mg/kg (Al), 0.05-0.69 mg/kg (Cu). Cobalt and Chromium were only present in the olive oil sample and were below detection limits in the remaining oil samples. The estimated daily intake (EDI) of potentially toxic metals were below the permissible limits set by the FAO/WHO. The Hazard Quotient (HQ) values in the present report ranged from 8.0 x 10-6 – 1.26 x 10-5 in adults and 11.25 x 10-6 – 1.26 x 10-5 in children and the hazard indices ranged from 9.67 x 10-6 – 4.59 x 10-4 for children and 3.57 x 10-7 – 1.59 x 10-5 for adults. These values were < 1 hence, would not result in adverse health effects if consumed. Regular monitoring and stricter quality control regulations are recommended to ensure the safety of edible oils consumed in this region