Human Health Risks Derived from Dietary Exposure to Toxic Metals in Catalonia, Spain: Temporal Trend

Abstract

The present study was aimed at estimating the current (2012) dietary intake of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), and lead (Pb) by the population of Catalonia, Spain. The temporal trends with respect to previous surveys, performed in 2000, 2005, and 2008, were also determined. For that purpose, metal concentrations were analyzed in a number of widely consumed foodstuffs. A speciation study was also conducted by experimentally determining the levels of inorganic As (InAs) and methylmercury (MeHg) in the same food items. Furthermore, the dietary intake of those metals and species was calculated both deterministically and probabilistically by considering two food consumption surveys: ENCAT and ENIDE, representative of the Catalan and Spanish populations, respectively. An important temporal decrease of the dietary intake was noted for most elements, irrespective of the age-gender population group. Considering data for a male adult, the current dietary intake of As, InAs, Cd, Hg, MeHg, and Pb was estimated in 216, 2.6, 8.7, 10, 7.3, and 8.4 μg/day, respectively, being these values lower than the respective provisional tolerable weekly intakes (PTWIs) or benchmark dose lower confidence limits (BMDLs). Moreover, new calculations by means of ENIDE survey indicated similar results to those previously obtained by ENCAT, with the exception of MeHg, whose intake exceeded the maximum recommended values for some part of the population. Although our data are similar to those frequently found in other European countries, the important intake of MeHg, which is linked to the high consumption of fish and shellfish, deserves further investigation.

Evaluation of mercury, cadmium and lead levels in fish and fishery products imported by air in North Italy from extra-European Union Countries

“…It should be noted that in the last few decades, due to corrective actions involving reduction of emissions of Pb in environment, this element is no longer present as before (Baldini, Novelli, & Baldini, 2004;Perell o et al, 2014): for example, a positive contribute to this trend is the reduction of Pbed-gasoline emissions from the eighties to our days (Jarup, 2003;Johnson, Siccama, Driscoll, Likens, & Moeller, 1995;Lind, Bignert, & Odsj€ o, 2006).…”

Evaluation of the Dietary Intake of Cadmium, Lead and Mercury and Its Relationship with Bone Health among Postmenopausal Women in Spain

“…In 2009, however, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) [31,32] reevaluated data on dietary cadmium intake and set a new PTWI of 2.5 μg/kg b.w. (0.357 μg/kg b.w./day) [33]. Approximately 66% of the sample exceeded the threshold for this element.…”

“…was not appropriate because no evidence of a critical threshold for lead-induced effects exists. In 2011, the JECFA concluded that because of prior analyses, a critical threshold would be considered health protective [33]. Nevertheless, all of the women had values well below the PTWI.…”

Exposure of the population of Catalonia (Spain) to musk fragrances through seafood consumption: Risk assessment

“…The consumption of seafood in Spain is notorious, contributing to the intake of up to 27% of protein and 14% of polyunsaturated fatty acids among adults (AECOSAN, 2012). Similarly to other environmental contaminants, such as persistent organic pollutants or heavy metals (Domingo et al, 2012a,b;Perelló et al, 2014), diet could be the most important route of exposure to musks. Unfortunately, there is a complete lack of knowledge regarding the dietary intake of musks, in front of other potential exposure pathways.…”