Health Risk Assessment of Exposure to Some Heavy Metals from Roasted Pork and Goat Meats Sold in Ishaka-Bushenyi Municipality, Uganda

Heavy metals like iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), and copper (Cu) in trace levels are vital for human health as they support a number of physiological processes. In contrast, lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) provide no health benefits and can cause significant health problems when accumulated in the body. The main sources of heavy metal contamination in humans include the consumption of unhygienic and contaminated food products. In Uganda, roasted pork and goat meats are highly consumed among the population. Therefore, this research aims to determine the levels of Mn, Cu, Cd, Pb, and Fe and the associated human health risks in roasted pork and goat meat samples collected from Ishaka-Bushenyi Municipality, Uganda. Results showed that the mean levels of heavy metals (mg/kg) in roasted pork were in the order of Fe (4.706) > Pb (2.220) > Cu (1.927) > Cd (0.766) > Mn (0.391), while in roasted goat meat, the order was Pb (8.152) > Fe (5.152) > Cu (1.834) > Cd (0.794) > Mn (0.388). Lead (Pb) was observed to have the highest concentration which is likely to pose a risk to both children and adults, while manganese had the lowest concentration. The estimation of human health risks revealed that the essential metals had target hazard quotient (THQ) values below threshold in all samples while the non-essential elements had THQ values above 1. The hazard index (HI) obtained for each sample was greater than 1 indicating non-carcinogenic health risks to consumers (HI > 1). In 88% of cases, cancer risks (CR) values were within 10−4 and acceptable. Additionally, children are more vulnerable to non-cancer risks than the adults due to lower body weight. This research highlights the need of regularly monitoring of locations where vendors sell processed meats, as well as implementing laws to mitigate the health hazards associated with consuming polluted roasted meats.