Health Risk Assessment and Corporate Crisis Communication Implications: Heavy Metals, Anti-Nutrients and Chemical Composition of Energy Drinks Sold in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Tamuno-Boma Odinga-Israel, Harcourt-Whyte Dike, Conquest Nodi, Sarah Enebeli, Prince Chikordi Amechi, Miebaka George, Victory Odinga and Darlington Agbani

Background and Objective: Energy drinks are widely consumed for their stimulatory effects on alertness and physical performance, particularly among young adults. However, increasing concerns have emerged regarding their chemical safety, including the presence of heavy metals and anti-nutritional compounds that may pose potential health risks. This research assessed anti-nutrient, nutrient, chemical and heavy metals concentration in selected energy drinks available in Nigeria while examining the corporate crisis communication implications of regulatory compliance failures. Materials and Methods: The samples were obtained from malls and labelled A-F. They were analysed using standard laboratory procedures for Phytates, Oxalates, Tannins, Total Available Carbohydrate, Caffeine, pH and Total Titratable Acidity. The Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer was used for heavy metals analysis. Data was analyzed via one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s HSD post hoc test (p<0.05) using IBM SPSS Version 27. Results: The phytate content of all drinks exceeded WHO limits, creating immediate regulatory disclosure obligations for manufacturers. The tannin and oxalate concentrations were significantly different in all samples (p< 0.05) and within the WHO permissible limit. The energy drinks were all within the WHO permissible limits for Sugar, TAC, Caffeine and pH, except for Sample C which exceeded the WHO limit in TTA. Sample D had the maximum Caffeine level but lowest in Sugar. All samples had Copper below 0.001 μg/L, sample F had the highest concentration in lead. All samples had their lead concentrations below the WHO permissible range of 10 μg/L. Manganese concentrations varied from <0.001 to 17.612 μg/L, Cadmium was <0.001 in all samples analysed. The human health risk assessment EDI, THQ and TTHQ revealed that the drinks were below the reference dose indicating low health risk and were below the threshold level of concern for carcinogenic health effects. However, the phytate violations in samples and elevated lead levels in specific brands present corporate communication challenges requiring immediate transparent disclosure strategies, proactive consumer education and regulatory compliance communication. Nutritional education on reduction of intake of these commonly consumed energy drinks is of necessity among teenagers and young adults, requiring strategic public health communication approaches. Conclusion: The findings underscore the critical importance of corporate transparency in food safety communication and the need for manufacturers to develop robust crisis communication frameworks before regulatory violations become public knowledge.

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