The study aimed to determine the content of 17 elements (Al, As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Li, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Sr, and Zn) in samples of sheep milk, cheese, and whey (36 samples in total) collected from a farm in an environmentally burdened area due to the long-term mining and industrial activity in Slovakia as well as to determine the possible risk of consumption via health risk assessment calculations. Consumption of 120 g of milk, 500 g of milk, 20 g of cheese, and 100 g of cheese were used in calculations for children and adults, respectively. According to the results, concentrations of four elements are controversial. Lead concentrations in all types of samples exceeded the maximum permissible lead limit in milk set by European Union legislation. The content of Se and As is problematic for children’s consumption, and the target hazard quotient for As and Al is higher than one (considered potentially not safe) in all scenarios. According to the target system approach, lead concentrations in milk and cheese could adversely influence the nervous system and kidneys of adults’ and children’s developmental and reproductive systems. Considering the worst-case scenario, consuming sheep milk and cheese from the monitored areas could represent a risk and be potentially harmful to human health, mainly for children. However, further monitoring of the levels of elements and concentrations in environmentally burdened areas and more robust data on consumption are needed.

The objective of this study was to measure the concentrations of eleven essential, potentially toxic and toxic elements (arsenic – As, calcium – Ca, cadmium – Cd, copper – Cu, iron – Fe, mercury – Hg, magnesium – Mg, nickel – Ni, lead – Pb, selenium – Se, zinc- Zn) in raw cow’s milk (spring, summer, and autumn season), feed (spring and autumn season) and soil (spring season) from three different environments by routine methods in the certified testing laboratory. The samples were collected in the undisturbed region around Novoť, the moderately disturbed region around Tulčík, and the strongly disturbed region around Čečejovce. The concentrations of all toxic elements (As, Cd, Hg, Ni, Pb) and two essential elements (Cu, Se) in milk were under the limits of quantification (LOQ) from all investigated areas and during all seasons. Concentrations of other elements in milk from the undisturbed and disturbed areas were significantly different, generally with the highest levels in summer. In soil samples, the significantly highest concentrations of Ca, Cu, Ni were found in a strongly disturbed area, Mg and As in moderately disturbed area, and Fe, Se, Zn, Hg, and Pb in an undisturbed area. Cadmium was under the LOQ. In feed, the concentrations of essential elements, except of Se, were higher in the autumn. The significantly highest concentration of As, Ni were recorded in a moderately disturbed area and Pb in the undisturbed area in both seasons. Cadmium and Hg were under the LOQ. Despite the higher level of some elements in soil (Fe, Mg, Ca) from all regions, there were not elevated concentrations of any element in feed or milk. The concentrations of all toxic elements in milk were under the permitted limits. Thus, the milk from all investigated areas was not contaminated with the elements posing a health risk for consumers and it is considered safe for human consumption.

The monitoring of metals and other chemical elements in the basic sources of diet, mainly for children, is very important for preventing health issues. The aim of this work was to determine the concentration of selected essential (Ca, K, Mg, Mo, Na, Zn) and non-mutagenic elements (Ag, Al, Ba, Li, Sb, Sr) in ewe milk from the Orava region in northern Slovakia. Twenty milk samples were analysed in June and August using an inductively-coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. The differences in elements concentration between the seasonal periods were not significant (p < 0.05), except for lithium (p < 0.05). The essential elements concentration was within the recommended levels, while the non-mutagenic and potentially toxic metals consist was under the permissible limits. However, there were found very strong and significant relationships between the elements which may suggest the synergistic / additive or antagonistic effects of some elements.

Concentration of toxic metals in milk, especially in industrial regions, may serve as a direct bioindicator of the quality of milk, which is an important food in human diet. The aim of this study was to find actual contamination of selected area of Slovakia and to determine the effect of lactation stages on the concentration of risk and toxic elements in sheep ' s milk of Tsigai breed. Monitoring of environment was performed by sampling of soil, feed, and milk samples from 400 ewes. Selected elements in feed and milk were detected using the AAS-HG, AES-ICP, AAS-ETA, AAS-AMA, and AAS-F and in soil samples by ICP-OES. Concentrations of toxic elements (As, Hg, Pb, Ni) were found in the soil samples, which corresponded to MRL, and their content was not reflected in the samples of feed and milk of sheep and were below the LOQ. The effect of lactation stage was statistically significant only in case of Ca (P<0.05), where a significant increase in concentration of this element was found throughout the lactation period. A statistically significant increase of concentrations of Se, Mg, Zn and Fe (P<0.05) in sheep milk was recorded only in the late stage of lactation. Pearson ' s correlation analysis showed a several very strong and positive correlation relationships in individual lactation stages of sheep. The very low concentrations, below LOQ of selected toxic elements in milk confirmed, that level of contamination of the selected area of Slovakia is very low, and milk from this area of Slovakia is in good hygienic quality and it is safety for direct consumption or for further processing.