Background and Objective: In Iran, soft drinks are consumed daily due to their affordability, characteristic taste, and thirst-quenching potential. However, the high demand may compromise the quality of production with possible contamination of heavy metals, which have been shown to cause intoxication and death in humans. This study aimed simultaneous determination of zinc, copper, lead, and cadmium in soft drinks in Iran.
Materials and Methods: In this study, 84 soft drink samples were purchased from Iran’s market. A polarograph measured the concentration of heavy metals. Voltametric analysis was carried out using a 746 VA trace analyzer with differential pulse anodic stripping of the voltammeter at the hanging mercury dropping electrode.
Results and Conclusion: All samples contained high levels of cadmium, lead, zinc, and copper. The average range of cadmium was 0.23 ±0.16 mg/100 ml, and the mean of lead was 0.62 ±0.47 mg/100 ml. The average of zinc and copper was 31.05 ±19.69 and 3.10 ±2.19 mg/100 ml, respectively. The high levels of heavy metals may harm the human health under chronic exposure. Thus, strict quality control is recommended during production (especially sterilization), purification, and packaging stages.