This study assessed the health risk associated with exposure to heavy metals through consumption of milk from cows reared around industrial areas in India. Heavy metals, namely Cu, Zn, Cr, Pb, and Cd, were determined in water and forage from four locations as well as in milk produced by dairy cattle raised in these locations, using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. A quantitative risk assessment using probabilistic approaches was performed to assess the exposure of adults and children to the heavy metals via milk consumption. In milk samples, the highest levels of Cd and Pb were 0.18 mg L⁻¹ and 0.37 mg L⁻¹, respectively, which were above the international permissible levels. Possible sources of Pb in the milk could be the industrial by-products and wastes or automobiles exhaust gas. Significant (P < 0.05) positive relationships were found between the concentration of Cu, Cr, Pb, and Cd in milk and in the environmental samples (water or forage). Exposure assessment showed that milk consumers were mostly exposed to Zn, Cd, and Pb, with 63.7%, 51.2%, and 41.2% of children exposed to a dose greater than the references dose for these metals, respectively. Our results suggest that industrial activities lead to possible transfer of heavy metals to cows from their rearing environment (water, plant), which can be accumulated and cause potential health risks to milk consumers. The outcome of this study can be used by policy makers to manage the potential health risk.

这项研究评估了通过食用印度工业区附近饲养的奶牛的牛奶与重金属暴露相关的健康风险。使用电感耦合等离子体质谱法测定了四个地点的水和牧草以及在这些地点饲养的奶牛生产的牛奶中的重金属，即Cu，Zn，Cr，Pb和Cd。使用概率方法进行了定量风险评估，以评估成年人和儿童通过牛奶摄入对重金属的暴露。在牛奶样品中，镉和铅的最高含量为0.18 mg L ^-1和0.37 mg L ^-1分别高于国际允许水平。牛奶中铅的可能来源可能是工业副产品和废物或汽车尾气。显著（P <0.05）在牛奶和环境样品（水或饲料）中的Cu，Cr，Pb和Cd浓度之间存在正相关关系。暴露评估显示，牛奶消费者主要暴露于锌，镉和铅，分别有63.7％，51.2％和41.2％的儿童暴露于高于这些金属参考剂量的剂量。我们的结果表明，工业活动可能导致重金属从饲养环境（水，植物）转移到奶牛，这些重金属可能会累积并对牛奶消费者造成潜在的健康风险。决策者可以使用这项研究的结果来管理潜在的健康风险。