Assessment of Slovak population exposure to lead

Exposure of the Slovak Republic population to lead from food and drinks was studied. Calculations were done using 150,000 food, plant and animal raw materials, and drinks sampled in 1986–2002. Estimates of exposure to lead from actual and model consumption patterns were calculated for an average inhabitant and compared with the provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI) value. Existing knowledge and experience from projects run since 1991, as well as information from the database of the Centre for Evaluation of Contaminant Occurrence, located at the Food Research Institute in Bratislava, were utilized. The estimated exposure of the population to lead seems to be persistently low with a tendency to a slight decrease, especially in recent years. The exposure doses estimated for the last 6 years using the mean and median values show that the weekly intake of lead from food and drinks represents 22.3 to 14.1% PTWI and 12.2 to 7.2% PTWI, respectively.     

Dietary exposure to lead, cadmium, mercury and radionuclides of an adult urban population in Lebanon: a total diet study approach.

Human exposure to toxic chemicals is suspected of being responsible for a wide range of human health disorders. This study is the first in Lebanon to evaluate the dietary exposure of an adult urban population to three heavy metals (lead, cadmium and mercury) and to radionuclides. Exposure assessment was performed by means of the total diet study approach as recommended by the Word Health Organization. Five 'total diets' were collected during 2003-04. Average and maximal consumer exposure estimates to heavy metals were calculated and compared with appropriate reference values and with intakes reported from other countries. The average dietary intakes of lead, cadmium and mercury represented 7, 17 and 5.6%, respectively, of the appropriate provisional tolerable weekly intakes (PTWI). The mean dietary intake of methylmercury represented 17.5% of the appropriate PTWI. Cs-134 and I-131 were not detected in any of the food samples. Traces of Cs-137 were only found in five food samples. The exposure assessment conducted places Lebanon among countries least exposed to heavy metals through the diet and it highlights the safety of the food supply from radioactive contamination.     

广西部分食品中铝含量监测及人群膳食暴露评估

目的了解广西部分食品中铝的污染状况,评估居民膳食中铝暴露的风险。方法对2009—2013年广西检测的部分食品中铝含量进行分析,结合2002年广西居民膳食营养调查中的食物消费量数据,计算广西居民膳食中铝暴露量。结果 2009—2013年共检测食品样品10类5 679份,铝含量的平均值为132.17 mg/kg,检出率为73.01%(4 146/5 679),超标率为29.51%(1 676/5 679)。其中以海蜇、紫菜干(海带干)、油条3种食品的检出率和超标率最高,且铝的平均含量也是极高。油条样品中铝含量的均数和中位数均最高,分别超过国家残留量标准的3.8倍和3倍。10类居民膳食中铝平均每周摄入量为0.426 mg/kg BW,低于JECFA制定的每周耐受摄入量(PTWI)。馒头、海蜇、油条和油饼高消费量人群的每周铝摄入量分别是PTWI的3.07、2.40、2.23和1.23倍。结论广西监测的油条、紫菜、海蜇等食品中铝含量超标较严重,居民平均膳食摄入铝的量虽然低于PTWI,但高消费量人群铝的暴露风险较大,仍需要加强对生产经营者科学合理使用含铝添加剂的技术指导,以降低居民膳食中铝的摄入量。     

Essential and toxic heavy metals in cereals and agricultural products marketed in Kermanshah,Iran, and human health risk assessment

Levels of some essential and toxic heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, chromium, nickel, zinc and copper in cereals and agricultural products obtained from the markets in Kermanshah city, west Iran, were determined by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The average concentrations for lead and cadmium in some cereals were higher than the maximum levels set by the Codex Alimentarius. A potential human health risk assessment was conducted by calculating estimated weekly intake (EWI) of the metals from eating cereals and comparison of these values with provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI) values. In combination with recent cereal consumption data, the EWIs of heavy metals were calculated for the Kermanshah population. EWI data for the studied metals through cereal consumption were lower than the PTWI values. Cr, Ni, Zn and Cu levels in all samples analysed were within the ranges reported for similar cereals from various parts of the world.     

Long-term dietary exposure to lead of the population of Jiangsu Province, China

Deterministic and probabilistic estimates of the chronic exposure to lead (Pb) for the inhabitants in Jiangsu Province, China, were performed. Pb contamination data were obtained from the national food contamination monitoring programme during 2001-2006 and 2600 samples from 38 commodities in Jiangsu were included. Food consumption data were from the national diet and nutrition survey conducted in 2002, including 3879 subjects aged 2-80 years and 185 children aged 2-6 years in Jiangsu. Contributions from 38 commodities were included in the calculations. Using the provisional tolerable weekly intakes (PTWI) divided into daily intakes (PTWI(d)) of 3.57 microg kg(-1) bw day(-1) in the risk assessment, exposures calculated by the deterministic approach for children and the general population were 77% and 43% of the PTWI(d), respectively, which were nearly similar to the mean intake calculation in the probabilistic approach. The percentage of people whose exposure level exceeded the PTWI(d) for children, the general population, urban population and rural population were 16%, 0.4%, 0.1%, and 0.5%, respectively. The 50th, 95th and 99th percentiles of Pb exposure for children were 2.6, 4.4 and 5.5 microg kg(-1) bw day(-1), respectively. Rice followed by wheat flour and bean products contributed most to the total Pb intake for both children and the general population. This study indicated that the Pb dietary exposure in Jiangsu Province, especially for children, would be a public health concern.     

Seasonal bioaccumulation of toxic trace elements in economically important fish species from the Caspian Sea using GFAAS

This study aimed to determine the concentrations of aluminium, cadmium, lead and nickel in edible muscle of three commercially valuable fish species (Rutilus frisii kutum, Liza aurata and Cyprinus carpio) from four fishing sites of Iranian coastal waters of the Caspian Sea during winter and summer. The samples were analyzed using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) after wet-ashing digestion. The results were expressed as μg/g of wet weight. The resulted range of metals in fish species was between 0.89–2.46 μg/g for aluminium, 0.03–0.17 μg/g for cadmium, 0.21–0.38 μg/g for lead and 0.12–0.52 μg/g for nickel. Seasonal variation influenced concentration of the metals in fish samples of some fishing sites. The highest concentrations found were 4.63 μg/g for aluminium in winter and 0.82 μg/g for lead in summer in Cyprinus carpio; while cadmium (0.49 μg/g) and nickel (1.14 μg/g) were the highest in Rutilus frisii kutum in winter. This demonstrates that estimated daily and weekly intakes of aluminium, lead and nickel and estimated monthly intake of cadmium via consumption of fish flesh are below the established PTDI, PTWI and PTMI values.     

Monitoring the content and intake of trace elements from food in Denmark

The content of cadmium, lead, nickel, mercury and selenium in 83 foods was monitored from 1993 to 1997. In comparison with similar results from 1988 to 1992, a general decrease in lead levels had occurred, whereas the contents of cadmium, nickel, mercury and selenium were stable or declined only slightly. The distribution in dietary intake of the five trace elements was estimated by combining the mean trace element concentrations with food consumption data from 1837 Danes aged 15-80 years. The lead intake for 1993-97 showed a decrease in comparison with similar estimates from the previous monitoring cycles: 1983-87 and 1988-92. The intake of cadmium and mercury decreased to a lesser extent, whereas the intake of selenium and nickel remained unchanged in the same period. The dietary intake of trace elements was compared with the provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI). The 95th percentile of the distribution in cadmium intake amounts to 34% of PTWI, which is relatively high, and therefore calls for a more detailed future risk assessment. The intakes of lead and mercury were 11% of PTWI and, like the intake of nickel, did not cause any health concern in the adult population. The Danes ingest close to 100% of the Nordic Nutrition Recommendation for selenium at 50 μg day -1 , and no individuals had an intake less than the lower limit of 20 μg day -1 .     

Assessment of dietary exposure of young Chinese children to aluminium residues

The aim of this study was to assess the Al dietary exposure of young Chinese children aged 0–3 years via formulae, complementary foods and wheat-based foods. Al residue data were obtained from the national food contamination monitoring programme from 2013 to 2016, encompassing 13,833 samples of 12 food items with a detection rate of 76.0%. Food consumption data were gathered from the China National Food Consumption Survey conducted in 2015, comprising 20,172 children aged 0–3 years old. The mean dietary exposure to Al for the general population of young Chinese children was estimated at 0.76 mg/kg bw/week, which does not exceed the PTWI. The 97.5th percentile intakes of Al reached 3.42 mg/kg bw/week, more than 1.7 times the PTWI. Wheat-based foods contributed 80.5% of the Al intake for the general population of young Chinese children, while formulae and complementary foods accounted for 19.5% of the total intake. The dietary intake of Al from formulae and complementary foods accounted for 6.0% and 1.6% of PTWI, respectively. These findings suggested that dietary exposure to Al among the general population of young Chinese children was lower than the PTWI and that there are no health concerns related to this level of Al intake. However, more attention should be placed on the health risks associated with Al exposure from wheat-based foods for young consumers with high food consumption in China (97.5th percentile)     

内蒙古自治区居民膳食中铝暴露风险评估

目的 了解内蒙古自治区主要食品中铝的污染现状,对当地居民膳食中铝暴露风险进行评估。方法 对2010—2018年内蒙古自治区食品安全风险监测中主要含铝添加剂食品的铝残留量进行分析,结合2012年内蒙古自治区居民食物消费量数据,按照性别-年龄组计算内蒙古自治区居民膳食中铝摄入量并评估其健康风险。结果 本次评估主要的含铝添加剂食品9类共1 083份,其中铝的检出率为69.44%(752/1 083),铝残留量均值为142.81 mg/kg,含量范围为2.50～2 950.00 mg/kg;全人群膳食中铝每周平均摄入量为0.692 mg/kg BW,低于食品添加剂联合专家委员会(JECFA)制定的每周可耐受摄入量(PTWI,2 mg/kg BW),高食物消费量人群膳食中铝每周摄入量为4.868 mg/kg BW,是PTWI的2.43倍;不同性别-年龄组人群膳食中铝每周平均摄入量均未超过PTWI,但各性别-年龄组人群的平均铝摄入量随年龄增加有降低的趋势。结论 粉条、油条中含铝添加剂超标现象严重,膨化食品、发酵面制品中存在含铝添加剂超范围使用现象。各性别-年龄组高消费量人群铝的暴露风险较大,相关部门需加强含铝添加剂超范围、超标使用的监管力度。     

Risk assessment of dietary exposure to aluminium in the Chinese population

In order to address the issue of excessive intake of aluminium (Al) from Al-containing food additives in the Chinese diet, this study conducted a dietary exposure assessment of Al in the general population based on the national surveillance data of Al content in foods and national food consumption data. It was found that the mean dietary exposure of the whole Chinese population to Al from Al-containing food additives was 1.795 mg kg^?1 bw week^?1, not exceeding the PTWI, while high dietary exposures (e.g., 97.5^th percentile) to Al were 7.660 and 2.103–2.903 mg kg^?1 bw week^?1 for children, respectively, both exceeding the PTWI. It was found that the dietary exposure to Al for 32.5% of the total Chinese population and 42.6% of children aged 4–6 years exceeded the PTWI. Wheat flour and wheat-based products are the main source of dietary A l exposure (85% of the total intake); and puffed foods are the major source of Al intake for children. These findings suggested that consumption of Al-containing food additives could be a health concern for consumers with high food consumption (97.5^th percentile) and children under the age of 14 years.     

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.     

Cadmium in the food chain near non-ferrous metal production sites

Dietary cadmium (Cd) exposure was estimated for adults living in Cd-contaminated areas close to non-ferrous metal plants and compared with dietary Cd exposure in the general Belgian adult population. To evaluate the contamination levels of locally produced food items, 35 fruit samples, 97 vegetable samples, 98 samples of potatoes and 53 samples of meat, liver and kidney of cattle, which had resided for more than 18 months in the contaminated area, were analyzed for Cd. Mean Cd concentrations in fruit and vegetables were 1.1- to 9-fold higher than in samples from other regions at ambient Cd levels. Mean Cd concentrations in bovine meat, liver and kidney were 2-fold higher compared to samples from animals in other regions of Belgium. The estimated dietary intake was 31.3 and 63.3 µg day^?1 for average and large consumers, respectively, in the contaminated area, compared to 17 and 38.3 µg day^?1, respectively, for the general adult population. Excessive consumption of locally produced food items in areas close to non-ferrous metal plants could result in Cd intake levels exceeding the provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI).     

Cadmium in the food chain near non-ferrous metal production sites

Dietary cadmium (Cd) exposure was estimated for adults living in Cd-contaminated areas close to non-ferrous metal plants and compared with dietary Cd exposure in the general Belgian adult population. To evaluate the contamination levels of locally produced food items, 35 fruit samples, 97 vegetable samples, 98 samples of potatoes and 53 samples of meat, liver and kidney of cattle, which had resided for more than 18 months in the contaminated area, were analyzed for Cd. Mean Cd concentrations in fruit and vegetables were 1.1- to 9-fold higher than in samples from other regions at ambient Cd levels. Mean Cd concentrations in bovine meat, liver and kidney were 2-fold higher compared to samples from animals in other regions of Belgium. The estimated dietary intake was 31.3 and 63.3 µg day^-1 for average and large consumers, respectively, in the contaminated area, compared to 17 and 38.3 µg day^-1, respectively, for the general adult population. Excessive consumption of locally produced food items in areas close to non-ferrous metal plants could result in Cd intake levels exceeding the provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI).     

Dietary exposure estimates of 18 elements from the 1st French Total Diet Study.

To estimate the dietary exposure of the main minerals and trace elements from retail food typically consumed by the French population, samples were purchased and then prepared and cooked prior to analysis. A total of 1080 individual food composites samples were collected and analysed for 18 elements (arsenic, lead, cadmium, aluminium, mercury, antimony, chrome, calcium, manganese, magnesium, nickel, copper, zinc, lithium, sodium, molybdenum, cobalt and selenium). Intakes were calculated from different food consumption patterns found in France for average and high consumers among adults and children. Dietary exposures of those consumers estimated from the France 2000 Total Diet Study (FTDS) are reported, and compared with existing nutritional reference values (Lowest threshold Intake, LTI) or toxicological reference values (Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake, PTWI or Upper Level, UL) of the respective element and from previous French studies. This study confirms for the populations concerned, the low probability of nutritional or health risks due to food consumption.     

Impact of refining the assessment of dietary exposure to cadmium in the European adult population

Exposure assessment constitutes an important step in any risk assessment of potentially harmful substances present in food. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) first assessed dietary exposure to cadmium in Europe using a deterministic framework, resulting in mean values of exposure in the range of health-based guidance values. Since then, the characterisation of foods has been refined to better match occurrence and consumption data, and a new strategy to handle left-censoring in occurrence data was devised. A probabilistic assessment was performed and compared with deterministic estimates, using occurrence values at the European level and consumption data from 14 national dietary surveys. Mean estimates in the probabilistic assessment ranged from 1.38 (95% CI = 1.35–1.44) to 2.08 (1.99–2.23) µg kg^–1 bodyweight (bw) week^–1 across the different surveys, which were less than 10% lower than deterministic (middle bound) mean values that ranged from 1.50 to 2.20 µg kg^–1 bw week^–1. Probabilistic 95th percentile estimates of dietary exposure ranged from 2.65 (2.57–2.72) to 4.99 (4.62–5.38) µg kg^–1 bw week^–1, which were, with the exception of one survey, between 3% and 17% higher than middle-bound deterministic estimates. Overall, the proportion of subjects exceeding the tolerable weekly intake of 2.5 µg kg^–1 bw ranged from 14.8% (13.6–16.0%) to 31.2% (29.7–32.5%) according to the probabilistic assessment. The results of this work indicate that mean values of dietary exposure to cadmium in the European population were of similar magnitude using determinist or probabilistic assessments. For higher exposure levels, probabilistic estimates were almost consistently larger than deterministic counterparts, thus reflecting the impact of using the full distribution of occurrence values to determine exposure levels. It is considered prudent to use probabilistic methodology should exposure estimates be close to or exceeding health-based guidance values.     

Survey of methylmercury in fish and seafood from the southwestern German market

Mercury is an environmental contaminant and may occur as methylmercury in marine organisms. Methylmercury is considered as having higher toxicity than the inorganic form; therefore, it is important to differentiate the mercury species in order to evaluate the potential risk for seafood consumers. In the largest study of the German market to date, 536 marine foods from the state of Baden-Württemberg (southwestern Germany) were analyzed using gas chromatography with atomic emission detection. Methylmercury was found at levels ranging from non-detectable (below 6 μg/kg) up to 567 μg/kg. The average, median, 90th, 95th, and 99th percentile contents were 38, 22, 78, 117, and 316 μg/kg, respectively. The average methylmercury proportion of total mercury was 70%. Based on a daily total fish and seafood consumption of 30 g according to the German National Nutrition Survey II, the methylmercury exposure was estimated to range between 5 μg/week (median) and 67 μg/week (99th percentile), which was below the provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI) established by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives. The risk of methylmercury for the German fish consumer was judged to be rather low, being restricted to the unlikely worst-case scenario of daily consumption of highly contaminated fish, which could exceed the PTWI. In conclusion, the previous opinions that the benefits of the moderate fish consumption appear to outweigh the risks associated with methylmercury exposure were confirmed by our survey.     

Dietary cadmium intake by the Belgian adult population

The aim of this study was to estimate the dietary cadmium (Cd) intake of the Belgian adult population, to compare this dietary Cd exposure to the tolerable weekly intake (TWI) recently established by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and to determine the major food groups that contribute to dietary Cd exposure in Belgium. Food consumption data were derived from the 2004 Belgian food consumption survey (two 24 h recalls, 3083 participants). Cadmium concentrations in food items (n = 4000) were gathered from the control program of the Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain for the period 2006-2008. Dietary intake per individual was calculated from consumption data and median Cd concentrations. The population mean, median and 95th percentile of the dietary intake values were 0.98, 0.85 and 2.02 μg kg?1 body weight per week respectively. Two percent of the Belgian adult population has a dietary Cd intake above the recent TWI of 2.5 μg kg?1 body weight established by EFSA in 2009. Cereal products and potatoes contribute for more than 60% to Cd intake.     

我国贝类产品中重金属镉的危害及污染分析

以抽样调查的贝类产品中镉含量数据为依据,从危害识别、危害描述、暴露评估、风险描述等方面对贝类产品中重金属镉的危害及污染水平进行分析。结果显示,虽然按照现行国家标准,所调查贝类中镉含量是超标的,但是食用人群镉的理论最大周摄入量(TMWI)低于食品添加剂专家委员会(JECFA)提出的镉的暂定每人每周允许摄入量(PTWI),因此,被调查区域贝类的食用对人健康造成危害的可能性很小。本文在危害分析的基础上,对现行国家标准贝类中镉限量进行了探讨,为标准修订和指导消费提供依据。     

Dietary heavy metal exposure of Finnish children of 3 to 6 years

The dietary exposure of Finnish 3-year-old and 6-year-old children to cadmium, lead, arsenic and mercury was determined using concentration data from Finland and individual food consumption data as well as individual weights of the children. Using middle bound estimates, 88% of the 3-year-olds and 64% of the 6-year-olds exceeded the tolerable weekly intake of cadmium. The benchmark dose for neurological damage caused by lead was exceeded by 14% and 1%, while the lowest benchmark dose of inorganic arsenic was exceeded by 43% and 29% for the 3-year-olds and 6-year-olds, respectively. The exposure of both age groups was below the tolerable weekly intake for inorganic mercury and methyl mercury. Although high, the exposures calculated with predominantly national concentration data were lower than previously estimated by EFSA, due to, for example, lower average concentrations in some much-consumed foods. The heavy metal exposure levels of the girls and the boys were also compared. Exposure to cadmium and lead was significantly higher for the boys than for the girls in both age groups, and exposure to inorganic arsenic was significantly higher for the 6-year-old boys than the girls of same age.     

Dietary cadmium intake by the Belgian adult population

The aim of this study was to estimate the dietary cadmium (Cd) intake of the Belgian adult population, to compare this dietary Cd exposure to the tolerable weekly intake (TWI) recently established by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and to determine the major food groups that contribute to dietary Cd exposure in Belgium. Food consumption data were derived from the 2004 Belgian food consumption survey (two 24?h recalls, 3083 participants). Cadmium concentrations in food items (n?=?4000) were gathered from the control program of the Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain for the period 2006–2008. Dietary intake per individual was calculated from consumption data and median Cd concentrations. The population mean, median and 95th percentile of the dietary intake values were 0.98, 0.85 and 2.02?µg?kg^?1 body weight per week respectively. Two percent of the Belgian adult population has a dietary Cd intake above the recent TWI of 2.5?µg?kg^?1 body weight established by EFSA in 2009. Cereal products and potatoes contribute for more than 60% to Cd intake.