International Clinical and Medical Case Reports Journal (ISSN: 2832-5788) | Volume 2, Issue 9 | Research Article | Open Access
Nisveta Softić*
Institute of Public Health SBK/KSB Travnik, Bosnia and Herzegovina
*Correspondence to: Nisveta Softić
Fulltext PDFAs an essential element, iron plays a significant role in the human body, and one of the most important is the transfer of oxygen through the blood from the lungs to all cells. As a consequence of insufficient iron intake, anemia occurs, which represents a major public health problem, and one of the most vulnerable groups of the population are developing children. As insufficient intake of iron can have negative consequences for the human body, so can excessive intake, which is confirmed by Paracelsus’ (1493-1541) famous claim that “a dose makes a substance poison”. One of the most important public health tasks in the whole world when it comes to food and drink is to ensure a high degree of protection of human life and health, and the measures applied to achieve the stated goal should be based on risk assessment. The risk to human health depends on the amount of contaminant present in food or drink, the exposure of the human body to such food or drink, and the toxicity of that contaminant. Based on an anonymous survey of 200 preschool children from the Travnik municipality, data was collected on age, body mass, and the frequency and amount of consumption of herbal chamomile tea infusions. Analyzing 20 samples of herbal chamomile tea for Fe content using atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS), it was found that the average concentration of Fe in infusions of herbal chamomile tea, which were prepared by keeping the filter bag in pure distilled water heated to 85°C for 5 minutes was 0,01265±SD=0,016765 mg/kg. The average daily intake of Fe (IFe) by consuming infusions was 0.00012162 ±0.00001913 mg/kg BW/day, and the values of the average daily intake decreased with the age of the surveyed children and were lower than the values of the oral reference dose of iron, therefore the values of iron hazard coefficients (HQFe) in relation to age decreased and were <1. It was established that, by consuming the analyzed infusions of herbal chamomile tea, the surveyed children ingest the iron necessary for the functioning of their organism in quantities that do not have a harmful effect on their health.
Risk assessment, Hazard coefficient, Herbal teas, Heavy metals
Nisveta Softić, Jasmin Sefer,Halid Makić. Assessment of Iron Intake and Risks from Iron Present in Infusions of Herbal Chamomile Tea Consumed by Preschool Children in Travnik Municipality.Int Clinc Med Case Rep Jour. 2023;2(9):1-6.