Cadmium exposure from food: the German LExUKon project

Abstract

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.

Metabolomic analysis for combined hepatotoxicity of chlorpyrifos and cadmium in rats

“…CPF and Cd are widespread in water, air and soil not only in rural areas but also in cities (World Health Organization, 2003;Schwarz et al, 2014). CPF and Cd have been found to coexist in food and environment (Mansour et al, 2009;Fatta et al, 2007).…”

Assessing diversity in Triticum durum cultivars and breeding lines for high versus low cadmium content in seeds using the CAPS marker usw47

“…Apart from natural variation, anthropogenic influence may increase Cd concentration and availability in soils, such as application of sewage sludge and fertilizers. Plant-derived food accounts for at least 70% of the Cd uptake in humans (Ryan et al 1982) with cereals being the major Cd source, followed by oily seeds and fruits, and vegetables (McLaughlin et al 1999, Schwarz et al 2014.…”

Korean research project on the integrated exposure assessment of hazardous substances for food safety

“…The dietary Cd exposure level of adults in this survey was 0.17 μg/kg bw/d (mean value), which was less than the dietary Cd exposure level of adults in the EU (mean value, 0.17-0.36 μg/kg bw/d) [ 7 , 30 ].…”