New research has found high levels of heavy metals in some salt sold in Australia.

Nutrition Research Australia found toxic levels of lead in one brand of gourmet pink salt.

An analysis of 31 pink salt brands found one brand sold in Australian supermarkets  — Peruvian Pink Salt — contained dangerously high levels of lead.

The salt exceeded the safe level set by Food Standards Australia and New Zealand by 25 per cent, and contained more than 130 times more lead than white table salt.

Other pink salts were found to contain heavy metals including mercury, cadmium and aluminum, which can be harmful if consumed long terms.

CEO of Nutrition Research Australia, Flavia Fayet-Moore, said the commonly touted health benefits of pink salt are overstated.

“Pink salts aren’t any healthier than white,” she told Ross and Russel.

While pink salt does contain more minerals than its white counterpart, a person would have to eat six teaspoons of the salt per day, six times the recommended salt intake, to get any health benefit from the minerals.

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