Heavy metals and pesticide residue testing
Contaminant testing is about substances that should not be there at all, or only in trace amounts. Heavy metals accumulate from soil, water, processing equipment and packaging; pesticide residues come from the field. Both are regulated by maximum limits, and destination markets are often stricter than domestic ones.
What we screen for
Maximum limits are commodity specific — the permitted lead in a leafy vegetable differs from that in a spice or a beverage. Tell us the commodity and the destination market and we will scope to the stricter of the two.
| Contaminant | Typical route in | Commonly tested in |
|---|---|---|
| Lead (Pb) | Soil, old plumbing, pigments, equipment | Spices, produce, water, sweets |
| Cadmium (Cd) | Contaminated soil and fertiliser | Leafy vegetables, rice, cocoa |
| Arsenic (As) | Groundwater — a known Bengal issue | Water, rice, produce |
| Mercury (Hg) | Industrial contamination, bioaccumulation | Fish and seafood |
| Tin (Sn) | Leaching from cans | Canned foods and beverages |
| Copper and zinc | Equipment and processing aids | Beverages, processed foods |
| Organochlorine residues | Persistent field application | Produce, tea, spices |
| Organophosphate residues | Field application close to harvest | Vegetables, fruit, grain |
| Synthetic pyrethroid residues | Field and storage application | Produce, stored grain |
| Fumigant residues | Post-harvest storage treatment | Grain, pulses, spices |
What to send us
Arsenic in Bengal groundwater
Parts of West Bengal — notably belts in Nadia, Murshidabad, North 24 Parganas and Malda — have arsenic in groundwater well above the drinking water limit. It has no taste, smell or colour, it is not removed by boiling, and standard filters do not touch it. If your water comes from a borewell in one of those districts, arsenic is not an optional add-on to the panel. It also enters the food chain through irrigation, which is why rice from affected areas is worth testing.
Questions about this test
Which limit applies — Indian or the destination market?
For an export consignment, whichever is stricter, because the consignment has to clear both. Send the buyer specification with the enquiry and we will scope against it rather than the domestic default.
Can boiling or filtering remove arsenic?
No. Boiling concentrates it. Ordinary candle and carbon filters do not remove it either — specific media or reverse osmosis are needed, and either way you need a test first to know the starting level and afterwards to confirm the treatment works.
How many pesticides can you screen for?
A screen covers a defined panel of compounds rather than everything. Tell us the crop and the region and we will select the panel around what is actually used there, which is more useful than a longer list of irrelevant compounds.