Your next bite of dark chocolate could come with an unexpected dose of lead and other toxic metals.
The findings suggest that people should moderate their consumption of these products, the researchers say.
So researchers at George Washington University wanted to better understand the scale of cocoa contamination in the United States.
Whole cocoa beans.Image: Justin Sullivan via Getty
The researchers collected and analyzed 72 different dark chocolate cocoa products over a span of eight years.
They tested for three specific toxic metals: lead, cadmium, and arsenic.
None of the products tested above the safe level for arsenic.
Interestingly, organic cocoa products had a higher risk of being contaminated with either metal than non-organic products.
The researchers note that about only 3% of the products tested above the FDAs criteria for lead exposure.
The teams findings are the latest to illustrate that lead in our food unfortunately isnt a completely eradicated problem.
News from the future, delivered to your present.
