Table 2.

Toxic limit and recommended/safe intake of heavy metal

Heavy metal	Toxic limit	Recommended intake/safe intake
Arsenic	3 mg/day for 2–3 weeks	15–25 µg/day (adults)
Cadmium	200 µg/kg of fresh weight	15–50 µg/day (adults); 2–25 µg/day (children)
Lead	≥500 µg/L (blood)	20–280 µg/day (adults); 10–275 µg/day children
Zinc	150 µg/day	15 µg/day

Notes: Adapted from Raikwar M, Kumar P, Singh M, Singh A. Toxic effect of heavy metals in livestock health. Vet World. 2009;1(1):28–30.¹⁰⁹