A study recently conducted by a team of Karachi University (KU) researchers showed that the ice being used to make different food items is heavily contaminated, particularly with some toxic, cancer-causing metals, and not fit for human consumption. The research was carried out at the KU’s Institute of Environmental Studies (IES).
The team collected 42 samples from all the six districts of Karachi and conducted an analysis of different physicochemical parameters and heavy metals to check their quality.
According to the findings, all the ice samples were grossly contaminated with arsenic and lead and crossed the 0.01 mg/L limit set by the WHO. The maximum lead content (5.71 mg/L) was observed in the sample collected from Jamia Milia, Malir.
All samples failed to meet the 2011 WHO guidelines on nickel. The highest nickel level (2.55 mg/L) was observed in Muslimabad, Landhi. As many as 21.4 per cent of samples had values greater than 1mg/L. The maximum allowable WHO limit set for nickel is 0.07mg/L.
