The Control of Novel and Traditional Elemental Impurities: Ag, Au, Co, Cs, Li, Mo, Se, Sr, and V in Mint Tea Infusions (Peppermint, Mentha piperita L.) Available in Poland: A Health Risk Assessment

The purpose of our studies is the evaluation of the health risks of the novel elemental impurities (Ag, Au, Co, Cs, Li, Mo, Se, Sr, and V) in mint tea infusions (Mentha piperita L.) available in Poland. For this purpose, we applied ICP-MS-based methodology for content analysis (elemental profile and µg/L of the infusion) and also the specific health risk assessment for a comprehensive assessment. Our strategy was based on weekly intake (µg/L of infusion/week) considering weekly tea consumption. Then, based on the weekly consumption of tea per adult, individuals were compared to the Temporary Tolerated Weekly Intake (PTWI) designated by the Joint FAO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), and the weekly consumption per body weight (µg/L of infusion/week/bw) was estimated. Daily exposure to Co in the tested products is in a range of 0.093–0.238 µg/day. In comparison, the established PDE (oral exposure) for Co by the ICH guideline (the ICH guideline Q3D (R1), 2019) is 50 µg/day. For lithium, PDE is approximately 560 µg/day and, in our study, the estimated daily exposure for Li in investigated products is in a range of 0.226–2.41 µg/day. Our studies found also low levels of Cs (in a range of 0.0598–0.195 µg/L), Mo (in a range of 0.663–3.261 µg/L), and Sr (0.223–65.842 µg/L) in infusions. For Molybdenum, the established PDE is approximately 3400 µg/day. There are no documents about Sr and Co in the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) database and the ICH guideline Q3D (R1). In the case of V, the established PDE is 120 µg/day, and the level of V in analyzed infusions is in a range of 0.284–0.702 µg/L. Silver and gold were present only in a few samples, and the estimated daily exposure for Ag is approximately 0.04575 µg/day for product A and approximately 0.1885 µg/day for product O, except for Au, which is in a range of 0.000356–0.114 µg/L. The estimated daily exposure for Ag is 167 µg/day and, for Au, it is in a range of 8.9 × 10(5)–0.0285 µg/day. It can be concluded that levels of all investigated elements (novel and also traditional elemental impurities) in the daily dose should not threaten the consumer’s health after consuming mint tea infusions.