Toxic Elements in Beans from Zhejiang, Southeast China: Distribution and Probabilistic Health Risk Assessment

Abstract

This study described the distribution of As, Cd, Cr, Hg, and Pb in 692 bean samples from Zhejiang province, southeast China, and estimated the health risk using Monte Carlo simulation. The average levels of As, Cd, Cr, Hg, and Pb were 0.0349, 0.0379, 0.246, 0.0019, and 0.0246 mg kg−1. Correlation analyses showed very strong positive correlations for Cd-Pb in kidney beans and mung beans, Cd-As in black beans, and Pb-As in red beans. The target hazard quotients (THQs) were adopted for non-carcinogenic risk assessment, and THQs at the 50th percentile were all less than 1, indicating that there are no deleterious effects from rice exposure to these elements. When evaluating THQ for multiple elements, the certainty with a hazard index (HI) greater than 1 for children was 12.64%, for teens 11.54%, and for adults 1.01%. The sensitivity analysis reveals that the concentration of Cd in beans and ED (exposure duration) are the main principal factors that contributed to the total risk. The mean carcinogenic risks for children, teens, and adults were all less than 1 × 10−4, indicating no potential carcinogenic risk. Despite that, the routine monitoring of these elements, especially for Cd should be continued.

Distribution and Probabilistic Risk Assessment of Antibiotics, Illegal Drugs, and Toxic Elements in Gastropods from Southeast China

“…It is assumed that gastropod consumption accounts for 20% of the total aquatic products. BW, body weight, is 16.68 kg for children (age 4 to 11), 46.25 kg for teens (age 12 to 17), and 57.03 kg for adults (over 18) [14]. The ADI is the acceptable daily intake based on the US FDA [15] and a published report [16].…”

“…The method for health risk assessment of toxic metal was described in our previous reports [9][10][11]14,17]. Briefly, the targeted hazard quotient (THQ) was employed to estimate non-carcinogenic health risks.…”

“…All calculations were performed using Monte Carlo (MC) simulations, with 10,000 runs executed by Oracle Crystal Ball (version 11.1.34190, free trial version, Oracle Corporation, USA) in Microsoft Excel™ 2010. The parameters of Monte Carlo simulations were listed in Supplemental Table S5 based on our previous report [14]…”