A Survey of 16 Rare Earth Elements in the Major Foods in China

Objective The aim of this survey was to investigate the level of contamination of the most consumed foods in China with 26 rare earth elements （REEs）, and to provide the basic data for establishing and revising food safety standards for REEs. Methods Sixteen REEs in foods were measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry （ICP-MS） in the labs of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of four provinces and two municipalities, during 2009-2020. Results 2 231 samples were analyzed and 29 221 concentration data of 16 REEs were collected. The REEs levels in the investigated foods varied significantly. The concentrations of cerium （Ce）, dysprosium （Dy）, yttrium （Y）, lanthanum （La）, and neodymium （Nd） were relatively high, while the remaining eleven REEs were at low levels. The mean values of total rare earth element oxides （REOs） in cereals, fresh vegetables, fresh aquatic products, fresh meats and eggs varied from 0.052 mg/kg to 0.337 mg/kg. Conclusion 16 REEs in the major foods were at very low contamination levels in the investigated regions.

Cumulative Risk Assessment of Exposure to Heavy Metals through Aquatic Products in China

Objective This study aimed to assess the risk of cumulative exposure to Pb,Cd,Hg,and iAs through aquatic products consumed by Chinese people.Methods Heavy metal concentration data were obtained from the national food contamination monitoring program during 2013–2017.Consumption data were derived from the China National Food Consumption Survey in 2014 and the relative potency factor(RPF)method was used to estimate cumulative exposure for neurotoxicity and nephrotoxicity.Results The results demonstrated that the cumulative exposure based on neurotoxicity was below the lower confidence limit on benchmark doses of lead(BMDL01)for nephrotoxicity and the cumulative exposures were all lower than the provisional tolerable monthly intake(PTMI)of Cd.However,the margin of exposure values(MOEs)of the cumulative exposures for neurotoxicity in the 2–6 year-old group was close to 1 and the cumulative exposure level for nephrotoxicity accounted for 90.21%of the PTMI.Conclusion The cumulative exposures of the 2–6 year-old group to the four heavy metals did not reach(but came close to)the corresponding safety threshold for both neurotoxicity and nephrotoxicity.Given that there are still other food sources of these four heavy metals,it is necessary to more closely study their cumulative health effects.

Dietary Exposure to Benzyl Butyl Phthalate in China

Objective Benzyl butyl phthalate （BBP） is a plasticizer used in food contact materials. Dietary exposure to BBP might lead to reproduction and developmental damages to human. The present paper was aimed to assess the health risk of BBP dietary exposure in Chinese population. Methods The BBP contents were detected in 7409 food samples from 25 food categories by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry operated in selected ion monitoring （SIM） mode. The dietary exposures of BBP in different age and sex groups were estimated by combining the content data with food consumption data derived from 2002 China National Nutrient and Health Survey, and evaluated according to the tolerable daily intake （TDI） of BBP established by European Food safety Agency. Results It was found that BBP was undetectable in most samples and the highest level was 2.69 mg/kg detected in a vegetable oil sample. The average dietary exposure of BBP in people aged 〉2 years was 2.03μg/kg bw per day and the highest average exposure was found in 2-6 years old children （1.98μg/kg bw per day）. The BBP exposure in 7-12 months old children excessed 10% of tolerable daily intake （TDI） in worst scenario. Conclusion The health risk of BBP dietary exposure in Chinese population is low and, considering BBP alone, there is no safety concern.