Arsenic Concentrations and Dietary Exposure in Rice-Based Infant Food in Australia

Gu, Zhuyun; Silva, Shamali De; Reichman, Suzie M.

doi:10.3390/ijerph17020415

Cited by 26 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…A study evaluating arsenic (As) in infant foods found that 75% of samples were contaminated with inorganic As. The highest concentrations of As were found in rice noodles, whole grain rice, and crackers [ 21 ]. High As contamination was also reported by Rotenberg et al (2017) and Ljung (2011) [ 22 , 23 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of the Risk of Contamination of Food for Infants and Toddlers

2021

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Infants and toddlers are highly sensitive to contaminants in food. Chronic exposure can lead to developmental delays, disorders of the nervous, urinary and immune systems, and to cardiovascular disease. A literature review was conducted mainly in PubMed, Google Scholar and Scopus databases, and took into consideration papers published from October 2020 to March 2021. We focused on contaminant content, intake estimates, and exposure to contaminants most commonly found in foods consumed by infants and children aged 0.5–3 years. In the review, we included 83 publications with full access. Contaminants that pose a high health risk are toxic elements, acrylamide, bisphenol, and pesticide residues. Minor pollutants include: dioxins, mycotoxins, nitrates and nitrites, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In order to reduce the negative health effects of food contamination, it seems reasonable to educate parents to limit foods that are potentially dangerous for infants and young children. An appropriate varied diet, selected cooking techniques, and proper food preparation can increase the likelihood that the foods children consume are safe for their health. It is necessary to monitor food contamination, adhere to high standards at every stage of production, and improve the quality of food for children.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of the Risk of Contamination of Food for Infants and Toddlers

2021

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“…The highest concentrations of As in this study were higher than the acceptable limit set by WHO [ 52 ]. Increased concentration of As in infants may increase the risk of cancer at a later stage [ 64 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health Risk Assessments of Selected Trace Elements and Factors Associated with Their Levels in Human Breast Milk from Pretoria, South Africa

Olowoyo

Macheka

Mametja

2021

IJERPH

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While breast milk is the recommended food for infants up to at least six months, exogenously derived compounds such as trace elements have been widely reported in human milk which may make it become toxic or a source of pollutants to the infants. Numerous short- and long-term health effects have been associated with high body—burdens of trace elements, which are amplified in infants. The current study determined the levels and possible contributing factors of six trace elements in breast milk of nursing mothers from a local hospital in Pretoria. Extraction of trace elements employed a digestion technique using perchloric and nitric acid in a ratio of 1:3, while Inductively Coupled Plasma–Membrane Spectrophotometry was used to identify and quantify their levels in breast milk. Concentrations of Cr and Mn were the highest in breast milk, with values ranging from 0.30 to 5.72 µg/L and 0.23 to 5.13 µg/L, respectively. Levels of Co, As, Pb and Cd ranged from <LOD to 0.2 µg/L, <LOD to 2.29 µg/L, 0.05 to 1.06 µg/L, and 0.004 to 0.005 µg/L, respectively. Levels of Cr, Mn and As were higher than the recommended limits from WHO (World Health Organization) in some milk samples. Dietary assessments showed minimal risk for the infants through breastfeeding at this stage; however, prolonged exposure to other sources of these toxic trace elements may pose a serious health risk for the infants. The nature of employment, infant birth weight, passive smoking and maternal diet were the significant factors noted to contribute to trace metal levels in breast milk.

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“…Such conclusions, though, may differ by rice type and source, and/or the risk assessment’s underlying assumptions [ 53 , 55 ]. Elevated concentrations of As in grain products, particularly rice-based products, is common, owing to its natural occurrence in soil [ 26 , 53 , 54 , [56] , [57] , [58] , [59] ]. In the most recent FDA TDS, rice and rice-based products were among the products listed with the highest measured As concentrations [ 10 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As concentrations in these rice products exceed the guidance value established by the FDA for rice-based cereal and baby food of 100 μg/kg [ 19 ]. Gu et al [ 26 ] found that 75 % of all rice-based baby foods had As concentrations above 100 μg/kg in Australia, indicating this phenomenon is common. Although both non-cancer and cancer risks associated with As could be anticipated based on other studies of As in rice-based products, the risks herein are likely overestimated because of the selected exposure assumptions and guidance values.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additional peer-reviewed publications have evaluated heavy metal exposures and their associated health risks from baby and toddler foods outside the U.S. Martins et al [ 25 ], for example, assessed exposure of infants to total Hg concentrations in infant foods commercially available in Portugal, and found that its provisional tolerable weekly intake (PWTI) in foods other than fish and shellfish was not exceeded under any exposure condition. In their recent study, Gu et al [ 26 ] measured concentrations of inorganic and total As in rice-based baby foods to estimate infant dietary exposure to As. They found that 75 % of samples exceeded maximum levels for As in the EU.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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