Dietary exposures to eight metallic contaminants of the Hong Kong adult population from a total diet study

Dietary exposures to eight metallic contaminants, aluminium (Al), antimony (Sb), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), methylmercury (MeHg), nickel (Ni), tin (Sn) and vanadium (V), of the Hong Kong adult population were estimated using the total diet study (TDS) approach. The estimated mean exposures of Al (0.60 mg kg^–1 bw week^–1), Sb (0.016–0.039 µg kg^–1 bw day^–1), Cd (8.3 µg kg^–1 bw month^–1), Pb (0.21 µg kg^–1 bw day^–1), MeHg (0.74 µg kg^–1 bw week^–1), Ni (3.1 µg kg^–1 bw day^–1), Sn (0.029–0.031 mg kg^–1 bw week^–1) and V (0.13 µg kg^–1 bw day^–1) were well below the relevant health-based guidance values (HBGVs) where available. However, dietary exposures to MeHg of women aged 20–49 years (child-bearing age) accounted for 150% of the provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI) and to Al and Cd of some high consumers were found exceeding or approaching the HBGVs. The major food contributors of MeHg were fish and seafood (90%), of Al were non-alcoholic beverages including tea (33%), and of Cd were vegetables (36%). MeHg exposure during pregnancy was a public health concern in Hong Kong due to potential health risks to the foetus. Results suggest that there is a need to continue monitoring the exposures to metallic contaminants, especially Al, Cd and MeHg, of the Hong Kong population.     

Assessment of mercury and cadmium via seafood consumption in Italy: estimated dietary intake (EWI) and target hazard quotient (THQ)

Mercury (Hg) and cadmium (Cd) were quantified in fish, cephalopods and crustaceans from Italian supermarkets. Sample compliance with European dietary standards as well as human health risks according to provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI) and the methodology of target hazard quotient (THQ) were evaluated. Both element levels were under European legal limits, except for some fish having Hg and Cd contents exceeding or equal to critical values. Estimated weekly intakes (Hg: fish = 0.07–1.44 µg kg^?1 bw week^–1; cephalopods = 0.05–0.15 µg kg^?1 bw week^–1; crustaceans = 0.04–0.08 µg kg^?1 bw week^–1; and Cd: fish = 0.04–0.32 µg kg^?1 bw week^–1; cephalopods = 0.07–0.27 µg kg^?1 bw week^–1; crustaceans = 0.05–0.11 µg kg^?1 bw week^–1) as well as THQ < 1 were within safe limits. Although there seems to be no important risks associated with seafood consumption, Hg exposure was in some cases close to safety margins and thus levels of this metal should be under frequent surveillance.     

Widespread occurrence of perchlorate in water,foodstuffs and human urine collected from Kuwait and its contribution to human exposure

Perchlorate is a thyroid hormone-disrupting compound and is reported to occur widely in the environment. Little is known on human exposure to perchlorate in Kuwait. In this study, 218 water samples, 618 commonly consumed foodstuffs and 532 urine samples collected from Kuwait were analysed to assess the exposure of the Kuwaiti population to perchlorate. For the estimation of daily intake of perchlorate, food consumption rates were obtained from the National Nutrition Survey in the State of Kuwait (NNSSK). The results showed that leafy vegetables accounted for a major share of perchlorate exposure among the Kuwaiti population at 0.062 µg kg^–1 bw day^–1 (36.2%), followed by fruits at 0.026 µg kg^–1 bw day^–1 (15.3%) and non-leafy vegetables at 0.017 µg kg^–1 bw day^–1 (10.1%). The urinary perchlorate geometric mean (GM) concentrations ranged from 8.51 to 17.1 µg l^–1 for the five age groups, which were higher than those reported in other countries. The estimated urinary perchlorate exposure for the Kuwaiti general population was 0.42 µg kg^–1 bw day^–1, which was higher than that reported for the United States. The dietary intake of perchlorate for the Kuwaiti population ranged from 0.14 to 0.67 µg kg^–1 bw day^–1 for the five age groups, with a mean total daily intake of 0.17 µg kg^–1 bw day^–1 for the general population. The highest estimated dietary mean daily intake of perchlorate (0.67 µg kg^–1 bw day^–1) was found for children at 3–5 years. The estimated dietary perchlorate exposure in Kuwait is higher than the recommended mean reference dose (RfD) but lower than that of provisional maximum tolerable daily intake (PMTDI) set by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA).     

Dietary exposure and risk assessment to lead of the population of Jiangsu province,China

The paper’s main purpose is to estimate the dietary exposure to lead for the inhabitants of Jiangsu province, China. Lead concentration data were obtained from the national food contamination monitoring programme during 2007–10. Food samples (n = 2077) were collected from 23 food categories in Jiangsu province. Consumption data were derived from Chinese national nutrition and health survey in 2002, which included 3938 inhabitants from 1451 households in Jiangsu province. Concentration data were combined with consumption data to estimate the dietary intake for the inhabitants of 2–6, 7–17 and 18–80 years, respectively. The β-binomial–normal (BBN) model was used to estimate the long-term intake for the population in Jiangsu province. The distribution of individual margin of exposure (IMoE) was introduced to assess the health effect. Uncertainty of IMoE was quantified by Monte Carlo and bootstrap methods. The mean levels of dietary exposure to lead were estimated at 3.019 µg kg^?1 bw day^?1 for children aged 2–6 years, 2.104 µg kg^?1 bw day^?1 for teenagers aged 7–17 years, and 1.601 µg kg^?1 bw day^?1 for adults aged 18–80 years. The mean intakes for the urban and rural populations were 1.494 and 1.822 µg kg^?1 bw day^?1, respectively. From the 25th to 99.9th percentiles, IMoE was 0.125–2.057 for 2–6 years and 0.473–7.998 for 18–80 years, respectively. The distribution of IMoE could indicate a public health concern on lead for the Chinese population in Jiangsu. Control measures should be taken to reduce lead exposure in Jiangsu province.     

Dietary exposure to mycotoxins of the Hong Kong adult population from a Total Diet Study

Dietary exposure of Hong Kong adults to mycotoxins and their metabolites including aflatoxins (AFs), ochratoxin A (OTA), fumonisins (FNs), deoxynivalenol (DON), acetyldeoxynivalenols (AcDONs) and zearalenone (ZEA) was estimated using the Total Diet Study (TDS) approach to assess the associated health risk to the local people. Sixty commonly consumed food items, collected in four seasons, were sampled and prepared as consumed. These mycotoxins were primarily found at low levels. The highest mean levels (upper bound) were: AFs, 1.50 µg kg^–1 in legumes, nuts and seed; OTA, 0.22 µg kg^–1 in sugars and confectionery; FNs, 9.76 µg kg^–1 in cereals and their products; DON and AcDONs, 33.1 µg kg^–1 in cereals and their products; and ZEA, 53.8 µg kg^–1 in fats and oils. The estimated dietary exposures of Hong Kong adults to the mycotoxins analysed were well below the respective health-based guidance values, where available. For AFs, the upper-bound exposure for high consumers is 0.0049 µg kg bw^–1 day^–1, which was estimated to contribute to about 7.7 (< 1%) of liver cancer cases when compared with 1222 liver cancer cases per year in Hong Kong. The percentage contributions of the estimated 95th percentile dietary exposures (lower and upper bound) to the health-based guidance values of individual mycotoxins were: ochratoxin A, 3.6–9.2%; fumonisins, 0.04–8.5%; deoxynivalenol and acetyldeoxynivalenols, 21.7–28.2%; and zearalenone 3.3–34.5%. The findings indicate that dietary exposures to all the mycotoxins analysed in this study were unlikely to pose an unacceptable health risk to the Hong Kong population.     

Bisphenol A contamination in soft drinks as a risk for children’s health in Italy

Bisphenol A (BPA) was determined in sugary carbonated, non-carbonated and milk-based beverages, through HLPC-fluorescence detection and confirmed by LC-MS/MS, in a selection of brands that are mostly consumed by Italian children. The daily intake was determined through the WHO budget method (BM). BPA was found at detectable levels in 57% of carbonated beverages, in 50% of non-carbonated and in 100% of milk-based beverages. The median concentrations were 1.24 µg l^–1 (range = < LOD–4.98 µg l^–1) in canned carbonated beverages and 0.18 µg l^–1 (< LOD–1.78 µg l^–1) in non-canned carbonated beverages. In non-carbonated beverages, median concentrations were 0.80 µg l^–1 (< LOD–2.79 µg l^–1) and 0.18 µg l^–1 (< LOD–3.58 µg l^–1), respectively, for canned and non-canned beverages; in milk-based products the BPA median concentration was 3.60 µg l^–1 (1.00–17.65 µg l^–1). BPA daily intake from sugary drink consumption in children ranged from 0.008 to 1.765 µg kg^–1 bw day^–1. The median exposure values for the ‘best’ and ‘worst’ cases were 0.16% and 0.47% respectively of the EFSA t-TDI for BPA (4 µg kg^–1 bw day^–1), and 10.59% and 35.30% of the t-TDI when the maximum levels were considered.     

Safety evaluation of mechanical recycling processes used to produce polyethylene terephthalate (PET) intended for food contact applications

The development of a scheme for the safety evaluation of mechanical recycling processes for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is described. The starting point is the adoption of a threshold of toxicological concern such that migration from the recycled PET should not give rise to a dietary exposure exceeding 0.0025 μg kg^–1 bw day^–1, the exposure threshold value for chemicals with structural alerts raising concern for potential genotoxicity, below which the risk to human health would be negligible. It is practically impossible to test every batch of incoming recovered PET and every production batch of recycled PET for all the different chemical contaminants that could theoretically arise. Consequently, the principle of the safety evaluation is to measure the cleaning efficiency of a recycling process by using a challenge test with surrogate contaminants. This cleaning efficiency is then applied to reduce a reference contamination level for post-consumer PET, conservatively set at 3 mg kg^–1 PET for a contaminant resulting from possible misuse by consumers. The resulting residual concentration of each contaminant in recycled PET is used in conservative migration models to calculate migration levels, which are then used along with food consumption data to give estimates of potential dietary exposure. The default scenario, when the recycled PET is intended for general use, is that of an infant weighing 5 kg and consuming every day powdered infant formula reconstituted with 0.75 L of water coming from water bottles manufactured with 100% recycled PET. According to this scenario, it can be derived that the highest concentration of a substance in water that would ensure that the dietary exposure of 0.0025 µg kg^–1 bw day^–1 is not exceeded, is 0.017 μg kg^–1 food. The maximum residual content that would comply with this migration limit depends on molecular weight and is in the range 0.09–0.32 mg kg^–1 PET for the typical surrogate contaminants.     

Cadmium exposure from food: the German LExUKon project

Cadmium is a very toxic contaminant with food being the major source of exposure for the general public. The second German food consumption survey (Nationale Verzehrsstudie II – NVS II) with about 20 000 participants (15 371 for dietary history interviews used for this study) allowed for an updated exposure assessment for the German population. Based on these comprehensive data, information on the consumption of 545 individual food items by the German population was generated. Cadmium concentrations in food were compiled from the German food monitoring programme, European countries’ authority programmes and the published literature, covering the years from 1993 to 2008, and were multiplied with consumption data to obtain estimates of cadmium intake from food. Consumption-weighted mean cadmium concentrations per main food group were highest for cereals, followed by oily seeds & fruits, and vegetables. Due to both high consumption and considerable occurrence of cadmium, cereals and vegetables contributed most to the intake of the general public, followed by the main groups beverages, fruits & nuts, and dairy products (including milk). Cadmium intake from food was estimated to be 1.46 and 2.35 µg kg^–1 bw week^–1 for average and high-end consumers, respectively. This corresponds to 58% for average and 95% for high-end consumers, respectively, of a reference value derived from a recent health risk evaluation performed by EFSA, using the benchmark approach. Uncertainties in these estimates pertain to the influence of values below the limit of quantification and some foods not considered due to lacking occurrence data. In conclusion, the estimated cadmium intake of the German population from food is still close to health-based reference values. Further efforts to reduce cadmium intake are required.     

Dietary exposure of Hong Kong secondary school students to total mercury and methylmercury from fish intake

Fish is the main source of dietary exposure to methylmercury (MeHg), which is a public health concern owing to its potential neurotoxicity. To evaluate the public health risk, this study estimated the total mercury (tHg) and MeHg exposure from fish intake in Hong Kong secondary school students. Median tHg and MeHg concentrations of 280 samples purchased from different commercial outlets (covering 89 species of whole fish and three types of canned tuna), together with the local food consumption data of secondary school students obtained by semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire in 2000, were used to estimate dietary exposure from fish intake for the average and high consumer (95th percentile exposure). For tHg, the median concentration was 63 µg kg^–1 (range 3–1370 µg kg^–1) and estimated exposures ranged 0.5–0.6 µg kg^–1 body weight (bw) week^–1 for an average consumer and 1.6–1.9 µg kg^–1 bw week^–1 for a high consumer. For MeHg, median concentration was 48 µg kg^–1 (range 3–1010 µg kg^–1) and estimated dietary exposures were 0.4–0.5 µg kg^–1 bw week^–1 for an average consumer and 1.2–1.4 µg kg^–1 bw week^–1 for a high consumer. These values are below the respective provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI) established by the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). The health risk is greater for high consumers since MeHg exposures may approach or exceed the PTWI when other dietary sources are taken into account.     

Concentrations and health hazards of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in selected commercial brands of milk

The concentrations and profiles of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined in twenty popular commercial brands of milk in the Nigerian market after saponification with ethanolic KOH and cyclohexane extraction and clean up using a gas chromatography with flame ionization detection. The concentrations of the Σ16 PAHs in these brands of milk ranged from 15.6 to 1,711.8 μg kg^?1. The dominant PAH compounds in these brands of milk were 3-and-4-rings PAHs. The dietary intake of BaP, PAH2, PAH4 and PAH8 were 0–53.9 and 0–369.6 ng kg^?1 bw day^?1 respectively. Using these indicators for occurrence and effects (BaP, PAH2, PAH4 and PAH8) PAHs in food, the margin of exposure were <10,000 in 15–30 % of the brands.     

Tropane and ergot alkaloids in grain-based products for infants and young children in the Netherlands in 2011–2014

An LC-MS/MS multi-method was developed to simultaneously quantify ergot alkaloids (EAs) and tropane alkaloids (TAs) in 113 cereal-based food for infants and young children. To assess yearly variation, samples were collected in 2011, 2012 and 2014. EAs were detected in 54% and TAs in 22% of the samples. Mean EA levels in the three sampling years were 10.6, 6.2 and 8.6 µg kg^?1, respectively (maximum: 115.4 µg kg^?1), indicating that exposure to EAs would not have exceeded the health-based guidance values set by EFSA in 2012. Mean TA levels were 3.9, 2.4 and 0.4 µg kg^?1, respectively (maximum: 80.8 µg kg^?1). The acute reference dose for TAs, derived by EFSA in 2013, would have been exceeded by young children when consuming some of the products sampled in 2011–2012. TA levels had decreased drastically in 2014, possibly due to measures taken by producers as response to the EFSA Opinion.     

Dietary exposure to trace elements and health risk assessment in the region of Valencia,Spain: a total diet study

ABSTRACT

Dietary exposure of the Valencian region population to lead, cadmium, inorganic arsenic (iAs), chromium, copper, tin and methylmercury (meHg) was assessed in a total diet study carried out in the region of Valencia in 2010–11. A total of 8100 food samples were collected and analysed. Occurrence data were combined with consumption data to estimate dietary exposure in adults (> 15 years of age) and young children (6–15 years of age). The estimated intake was calculated by a probabilistic approach. Average intake levels (optimistic scenario) for lead, iAs, chromium and tin were 0.21, 0.08, 1.79 and 1.87 µg kg^?1 bw day^?1 respectively; for Cd and meHg average intake levels were 0.77 and 0.54 µg kg^–1 bw week^?1, respectively, and for Cu, 1.60 mg day^?1. In terms of risk characterisation, the results showed that 2.84% of the adult population may exceed the BMDL₁₀ (benchmark dose lower confidence limit) established for Pb, which is linked to renal effects; whereas 28.01% of the young children population may exceed the BMDL₀₁ related to neurodevelopment effects. In addition, 8.47% of the adult population and 12.32% of young children exceeded the meHg tolerable weekly intake (TWI).     

Blood,breast milk and urine: potential biomarkers of exposure and estimated daily intake of ochratoxin A: a review

The purposes of this review are to study potential biomarkers of exposure for ochratoxin A (OTA) in biological fluids (blood, urine and breast milk) for the period 2005–14, calculate the estimated daily intake (EDI) of OTA by using database consumption for the Spanish population, and, finally, to correlate OTA levels detected in blood and EDI values calculated from food products. The values of OTA detected in potential biomarkers of exposure for blood, breast milk and urine ranged from 0.15 to 18.0, from 0.002 to 13.1, and from 0.013 to 0.2 ng ml^–1, respectively. The calculated EDI for OTA in plasma ranged from 0.15 to 26 ng kg^–1 bw day^–1, higher than that obtained in urine (0.017–0.4 ng kg^–1 bw day^–1). All these values are correlated with the range of EDI for OTA calculated from food products: 0.0001–25.2 ng kg^–1 bw day^–1.     

Determination of flonicamid and its metabolites in bell pepper using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (Orbitrap)

The development and validation of a method to determine flonicamid and its metabolites as TFNA (4-trifluoromethylnicotinic acid), TFNG (N-(4-trifluoromethylnicotinoyl) glycine) and TFNA-AM (4-trifluoromethylnicotinamide) in bell pepper samples by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to Orbitrap mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Orbitrap-MS) was performed. A fast and simple extraction procedure with acidified acetonitrile and salts (magnesium sulfate and sodium chloride) was used. The methodology was validated, checking for specificity, recovery, precision, limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantification (LOQs). The recoveries ranged from 84% to 98%, and precisions were lower than 17%. Finally, LODs ranged from 1 µg kg^–1 (flonicamid) to 6 µg kg^–1 (TFNA-AM), while LOQs ranged from 10 µg kg^–1 (flonicamid) to 30 µg kg^–1 (TFNA-AM). Bell pepper samples were analysed and concentrations up to 98 µg kg^–1 (flonicamid) were detected, although the sum of flonicamid and metabolites did not exceed the maximum residue limit (MRL) set by the European Union.     

Mycotoxin contamination of home-grown maize in rural northern South Africa (Limpopo and Mpumalanga Provinces)

The aim of this study was to assess mycotoxin contamination of crops grown by rural subsistence farmers over two seasons (2011 and 2012) in two districts, Vhembe District Municipality (VDM, Limpopo Province) and Gert Sibande District Municiality (GSDM, Mpumalanga Province), in northern South Africa and to evaluate its impact on farmers’ productivity and human and animal health. A total of 114 maize samples were collected from 39 households over the two seasons and were analysed using a validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry mycotoxins method. Aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) occurrence ranged from 1 to 133 µg kg^?1 in VDM while AFB₁ levels in GSDM were less than 1.0 µg kg^?1 in all maize samples. Fumonisin B₁ levels ranged from 12 to 8514 µg kg^?1 (VDM) and 11–18924 µg kg^?1 (GSDM) in 92% and 47% positive samples, respectively, over both seasons. Natural occurrence and contamination with both fumonisins and aflatoxins in stored home-grown maize from VDM was significantly (p < 0.0001) higher than from GSDM over both seasons.     

Contamination of food samples from Malaysia with polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans and estimation of human intake

A total of 126 food samples, categorised into three groups (seafood and seafood products, meat and meat products, as well as milk and dairy products) from Malaysia were analysed for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs). The concentration of PCDD/Fs that ranged from 0.16 to 0.25 pg WHO₀₅-TEQ g^?1 fw was found in these samples. According to the food consumption data from the Global Environment Monitoring System (GEMS) of the World Health Organization (WHO), the dietary exposures to PCDD/F from seafood and seafood products, meat and meat products, as well as milk and dairy products for the general population in Malaysia were 0.064, 0.183 and 0.736 pg WHO₀₅-TEQ kg^?1 bw day^?1, respectively. However, the exposure was higher in seafood and seafood products (0.415 pg WHO₀₅-TEQ kg^?1 bw day^?1) and meat and meat products (0.317 pg WHO₀₅-TEQ kg^?1 bw day^?1) when the data were estimated using the Malaysian food consumption statistics. The lower exposure was observed in dairy products with an estimation of 0.365 pg WHO₀₅-TEQ kg^?1 bw day^?1. Overall, these dietary exposure estimates were much lower than the tolerable daily intake (TDI) as recommended by WHO. Thus, it is suggested that the dietary exposure to PCDD/F does not represent a risk for human health in Malaysia.     

Health risk assessment of Chinese consumers to nickel via dietary intake of foodstuffs

A quantitative risk assessment was carried out to characterise the health risk from nickel (Ni) via dietary exposure for Chinese consumers. Ni contamination in foods was investigated by conducting a survey and a literature review. The daily diet of the public was categorised into nine food groups and the consumption data for each group were obtained from a nationwide survey. Deterministic and probabilistic methods were applied to calculate the target hazard quotients (THQs) by comparing the estimated dietary Ni intake with respect to the tolerable daily intake (TDI). The average estimated daily Ni intake (μg kg^–1 bw day^–1) for men, women, 2–3-year-old children and 4–17-year-old children were 7.2, 7.3, 17.1 and 10.0, respectively. The consumption of cereals, beans, vegetables and marine products contributed significantly to the total daily intake of Ni. The mean THQ values (95% confidence interval) and the probability of dietary Ni exposure higher than the TDI were 0.60 (0.58–0.62) and 8.2% for men, 0.61 (0.59–0.63) and 8.4% for women, 1.35 (1.32–1.39) and 72.0% for 2–3-year-old children, and 0.87 (0.82–0.91) and 28.5% for 4–17-year-old children, respectively. This study showed a potential health risk from Ni via dietary exposure for Chinese consumers, especially among children.     

Development and validation of an UHPLC-MS/MS method for the determination of mycotoxins in grass silages

An ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) multi-mycotoxin analytical method was developed to simultaneously identify and quantify 20 mycotoxins in grass silages, inclusive of mycotoxins that are currently regulated in European Union feeds. Extraction of mycotoxins from dried grass silages was performed using of a modified QuEChERS extraction employing an acidified aqueous extraction (0.1 N HCl) with no further clean-up. Following chromatographic separation, analytes were detected using a fast polarity-switching MS/MS method that allowed both positive and negative ions to be analysed from a single injection, thus the reducing time and cost of analysis. The limits of detection and quantification ranged between 3 µg kg^–1 DM (aflatoxin B₁, beauvericin and enniatin A and A₁) and 200 µg kg^–1 DM (deoxynivalenol), and between 10 µg kg^–1 DM (aflatoxin B₁, beauvericin and enniatin A₁) and 500 µg kg^–1 DM (deoxynivalenol), respectively. Inter-assay accuracy and precision ranged between 90% and 107% and between 3.9% and 15.0% CV, respectively. The accuracy of the method was assessed through the application to a range of incurred samples in an inter-laboratory study.     

Estimate of dietary exposure to sulphites in child and adult populations in the Basque Country

Sulphites are widely used as a preservative and antioxidant additive in food. The aim of this study was to assess dietary sulphite intake in adults aged 35–65 years and in children aged 4–18 years living in the Basque Country, northern Spain. We determined sulphite concentrations in 909 samples covering 16 food types. The maximum permitted levels were exceeded in 17% of samples. Making recommended assumptions for non-quantifiable results, estimates of mean lower and upper bounds were calculated for sulphite concentrations in each food type. These sulphite data were combined with consumption data derived from 8417 adults from the European Prospective Investigation in Cancer and Nutrition cohort in Gipuzkoa, recruited in 1992–1995 using a diet history method, and 1055 children from the Basque Country Nutrition Children Survey, conducted in 2004–2005 using two 24-h recall questionnaires to assess diet. The results were compared with the acceptable daily intake (ADI) proposed by the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). The mean dietary exposure to sulphites was 0.08 mg kg^?1 bw day^?1, only 11% of the ADI in the overall group of children (4–18 years old), but the acceptable intake was exceeded by 4% of 4–6 year olds. For the adults (35–65 years old), the mean dietary exposure was 0.31 mg kg^?1 bw day^?1, 45% of the ADI, but the acceptable intake was exceeded in 14.6% of cases. The major contributing foods were minced meat and other meat products for children and wine for adults.     

Risk assessment of the lead intake by consumption of red deer and wild boar meat in Southern Spain

The presence of heavy metals in big game meat may pose a risk to human health. The main objective of this paper is to carry out a risk assessment study (using a probabilistic and point-estimate approach) of lead intake by consumption of red deer and wild boar meat in Southern Spain based on Spanish data collected in the period 2003–2006. In general, the concentration levels found for wild boar meat (mean?=?1291?µg?kg^?1) were much higher than those observed in red deer meat (mean?=?326?µg?kg^?1). The results from a point-estimate risk assessment showed that the estimated average intake of lead among different exposure scenarios varied from 0.1 to 6.5 and from 0.3 to 38?µg?kg^?1?week^?1 for red deer and wild boar meat, respectively; and from 0.3 to 35?µg?kg^?1?week^?1 for individuals consuming both red deer and wild boar meat, and that the estimated intake of lead by consumption of big game meat differed significantly between hunters and non-hunters, it being higher for hunters. Besides this, results from the probabilistic risk assessment study corroborated the fact that risk is greater in hunter populations, reaching a maximum in individuals consuming only wild boar and both types of meat, with 0.4% and 0.2% of the population above the provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI), respectively. Likewise, the hunter populations consuming wild boar and both types of big game meat (red deer and wild boar meat) were exposed to the maximum lead level (56?µg?kg^?1?week^?1), which corresponded approximately to 224% of the PTWI. Further data and studies will be needed to give a complete risk estimation in which it will be crucial to consider the contribution to the lead intake level of other foods in the diet of both population groups.