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Consumption of foodstuffs is the most likely route for human exposure to heavy metals. This study was designed to investigate the toxic metals (cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), arsenic (As), and mercury (Hg)) concentrations in different foodstuffs (cereals, vegetables, fruits, fish, and meat) and then estimate the potential health risks of toxic metals via consumption to the local residents in Beijing, China. Most of the selected toxic metal levels in the foodstuffs were lower than the maximum allowable concentrations of Pb, Cr, Cd, As, and Hg for Chinese foodstuffs recommended in the China National Food Safety Standard. The health risks associated with the toxic metals Pb, Cr, Cd, As, and Hg were assessed based on the target hazard quotients (THQs) proposed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). The THQ values of the foodstuffs varied and were 0.03–0.29 for Cr, 0.02–0.23 for Pb, 0.01–0.33 for Cd, 0.01–0.06 for As, and 0.00–0.04 for Hg, not exceeding the maximum level of 1. The total THQ (TTHQ) values were 0.88 for vegetables, 0.57 for cereals, 0.46 for meat, 0.32 for fish, and 0.07 for fruits. This indicates that the risk contribution from vegetable intake (38.8%) was significant in comparison to that from other foodstuffs. The TTHQ values were 0.96 for Cr, 0.54 for Pb, 0.50 for Cd, 0.19 for As, and 0.09 for Hg, suggesting that Cr was a major risk contributor (41.7%) for the local residents of Beijing, which should attract great attention. However, the THQ/TTHQ values were all below 1, suggesting no health risks to the local population through consumption. Furthermore, dietary weekly intakes (WIs) were also calculated and the values were all lower than the proposed limit of Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intakes (PTWI) established by the the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). This suggests no additional health risks as well as consistency with the THQ results.

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Human hair of different age groups and foodstuff samples were collected in Beijing, China. The concerned metals—Cd, Cr, Pb, As, and Hg—were analyzed, and the metal levels in relation to age, gender, and dietary intake were further assessed. Results showed the highest level of the metals was shown by Pb, with an average concentration of 1.557 ± 0.779 mg/kg, followed by Cr (0.782 ± 0.394), Hg (0.284 ± 0.094), As (0.127 ± 0.078), and Cd (0.071 ± 0.032), following a decreasing order of Pb > Cr > Hg > As > Cd, which were all below the upper limit of normal values in China. The heavy metal concentrations varied greatly among different age groups, and higher concentrations for Cd, Cr, Pb, and As appeared in female hair, whereas higher Hg concentration were found in male hair, suggesting that age and gender were not crucial factors for assessing metal concentrations in human hair. The ingestion of cereals and vegetables were the main route by which heavy metals in the environment create hazardous health effects for local inhabitants, but the estimated metal intakes through food consumption were all lower than the proposed limit of Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake (PTWI), indicating that heavy metals posed no health risks for the inhabitants. Furthermore, little relationship was found between metal intakes and the corresponding metal levels in hair. Nevertheless, the results of this study can be used to analyze the internal heavy metal burden in the resident population of Beijing area and can also serve as reference for further studies.

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Mycotoxins are one of the main factors impacting food safety. Mycotoxin contamination has threatened the health of humans and animals. Conventional methods for the detection of mycotoxins are gas chromatography (GC) or liquid chromatography (LC) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS), or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). However, all these methods are time-consuming, require large-scale instruments and skilled technicians, and consume large amounts of hazardous regents and solvents. Interestingly, a microchip requires less sample consumption and short analysis time, and can realize the integration, miniaturization, and high-throughput detection of the samples. Hence, the application of a microchip for the detection of mycotoxins can make up for the deficiency of the conventional detection methods. This review focuses on the application of a microchip to detect mycotoxins in foods. The toxicities of mycotoxins and the materials of the microchip are firstly summarized in turn. Then the application of a microchip that integrates various kinds of detection methods (optical, electrochemical, photo-electrochemical, and label-free detection) to detect mycotoxins is reviewed in detail. Finally, challenges and future research directions in the development of a microchip to detect mycotoxins are previewed.