Lead levels measured in 61 cinnamon samples sold in Ecuador
What it found
Ground cinnamon had almost twice the lead of stick cinnamon, and three ground samples were above legal limits.
Risk calculations suggested a possible cancer risk for people eating it.
What they found
Studies in people
Non-cancer risk estimates
Calculations showed very small non-cancer risks for both children and adults. This held true even for the samples with the most lead.
Cancer risk estimates
Risk calculations pointed to a cancer risk for people eating ground cinnamon. This applied at both the average and highest lead levels found.
Other findings
More lead in ground cinnamon
Ground cinnamon samples had almost twice as much lead as stick samples. The average was 0.80 mg/kg for ground and 0.36 mg/kg for sticks.
Three samples over limits
Three ground cinnamon samples had lead above the 2.0 mg/kg limit set by Ecuadorian and European Union rules.
What the authors conclude
- They say current monitoring systems have clear gaps when it comes to metals in food.
- The authors call for stronger national rules to limit how much lead people take in through what they eat.
How it was done
Lead is a poisonous metal that harms organs and nerves, and spices like cinnamon can be a way people take it in. In October 2023, four children in the United States had high blood lead after eating apple-cinnamon puree made by an Ecuadorian company.
The researchers tested 61 samples of ground and stick cinnamon from different brands and batches sold in Ecuador. They measured how much lead each sample contained. They then used those numbers to estimate health risks for children and adults.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- These are measurements of products on shelves, not a study following people over time. The risk numbers come from calculations rather than tracking actual illnesses.
- The samples were bought in Ecuador, so the results may not match cinnamon sold elsewhere.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
The paper
- Title
- Lead content in cinnamon and its health risk assessment for Ecuadorian consumers
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Yánez-Jácome GS, Romero-Estévez D, Rosero-Jácome AP, Cipriani-Avila I, Navarrete H, Vélez-Terreros PY (2024). Lead content in cinnamon and its health risk assessment for Ecuadorian consumers. Food and chemical toxicology. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2024.115010PubMed 39299376DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error