This study aimed to evaluate the concentration
of metals such as aluminum (Al), cadmium
(Cd), lead (Pb), barium (Ba), bismuth (Bi), cobalt
(Co), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), copper
(Cu), zinc (Zn), and selenium (Se) in 360 samples of
poultry meat and liver from six brands (A, B, C, D,
E, and F) in Assiut, Egypt; compare these concentrations
with Egyptian and world permissible limits;
and determine their safety for human consumption
according to health risk assessment. Chest, thigh
muscles, and liver were collected randomly from
Assiut city markets, and the concentration of heavy
metals was measured in the central laboratory of
the faculty of agriculture at Assiut University using
inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS).
All the analyzed samples were positive for the
tested metals and were far below the allowed maximum
permissible limits except for Pb and Fe, which
exceeded the Egyptian Organization for Standardization
(EOS) permissible limits with 33% and 67%,
respectively, as well as Pb and Cd, which exceeded
FAO/WHO permissible limits with 94% and 17%,
respectively. Health risk assessment revealed the
safety and minimum health risk for human consumption
of metal residues in poultry tissues and liver
using estimated daily intake (EDI), target hazardquotient (THQ), hazard index (HI), and target cancer
risk (TR). Even though the THQ and HI values were
significantly lower than 1.0 during our study, heavy
metal monitoring in poultry products and byproducts
is required for human security and safety.