Lead exposure through eggs in Iran: health risk assessment

Introduction. Contamination of food, including animal protein sources, with heavy metals is a major threat to humans. The aim of this research was to determine lead concentrations in eggs from different Iranian regions and assess risks to human health. Study objects and methods. In this study, lead concentrations in eggs produced at laying hen farms in Qom, Isfahan (Kashan city), and Khorasan Razavi (Mashhad city) provinces were measured by an atomic absorption device. Health risk was estimated using the Human Health Risk Assessment (HHRA) model. Results and discussion. The levels of lead in eggs were significantly different (P ≤ 0.05) among the three regions. They were lower than the permissible limit (0.1 mg/kg) for Kashan (0.0756 mg/kg) and Mashhad (0.0633 mg/kg), but eggs from Qom contained 0.1163 mg/kg of lead. In all the three regions, the estimated daily intake (EDI) of lead was lower than the maximum tolerable daily intake (MTDI), indicating no health risk for lead through egg consumption among Iranian consumers. Also, no risks were detected for adults in terms of non-cancer risk, or target hazard quotients (THQ), and carcinogenic risk (CR) of lead (THQ < 1 and CR < 10–6). Conclusion. The results of this study indicated that lead health risk through egg consumption is within safe limits. However, the nutritional importance and high consumption of eggs among households necessitate a more careful monitoring of lead concentrations to meet public health requirements.

Download Full-text

Human Health Risk Assessment and Potentially Harmful Element Contents in the Fruits Cultivated in the Southern Poland

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16245096 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (24) ◽

pp. 5096 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Agnieszka Gruszecka-Kosowska

Keyword(s):

Risk Assessment ◽

Health Risk ◽

Human Health ◽

Human Health Risk ◽

Daily Intake ◽

Carcinogenic Risk ◽

Stone Fruits ◽

Pome Fruits ◽

The Mean ◽

Berry Fruits

The presence of potentially harmful elements (PHEs) in popularly consumed fruits in Poland was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Se, Sb, Tl, and Zn contents were investigated in 21 fruit species grouped as berry, pome, stone, and shell fruits. The PHE contents belonged to the following ranges (mg/kg wet weight): Cd < limit of detection (LOD)–0.116, Co < LOD–0.062, Cu < LOD–15.5, Ni < LOD–2.23, Pb < LOD–2.07, Sb < LOD–0.240, Tl < LOD–0.110, and Zn 0.37–37.7. Their concentrations exceeded the maximum allowable concentration (MAC) set by European Union regulation for Pb only. Bioconcentration coefficient (BC) values, calculated in accordance to the PHE contents in exchangeable and acid soluble forms in soil after first step of the Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) sequential extraction procedure, revealed that berry fruits had potential for accumulation of Cu, Ni, Sb, and Tl; stone fruits—Cu, Sb, and Tl; pome fruits—Cu, Ni, and Sb, and shell fruit (walnut)—Cu. Human health risk assessment associated with the intake of PHEs in fruits was evaluated in terms of daily intake rates (DIR), and carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk by cancer risk (CR) and hazard quotient (HQ), respectively. For Pb margin of exposure (MOE) approach was used for health risk evaluation. Daily intake rates for all PHEs were below the provisional maximum tolerable daily intake (PMTDI) values. The mean total non-carcinogenic risk values were the following: berry fruits HQ = 0.47, pome fruits HQ = 0.36, stone fruits HQ = 0.42, and shell fruits (walnut) HQ = 0.22, indicating no health hazards. The carcinogenic risk for As in walnut only under an adult intake scenario (CR = 1.98 × 10−6) was found to be above the acceptable risk level. The mean Pb health risk, according to Polish statistical intake rates, was acceptable low as the MOE value was equal to 15.7 for adults. In reference to the intake rates recommended by United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), MOE values for Pb indicated acceptable low risk both for adults (MOE = 14.0) and children (MOE = 1.64). In general, the finding of this research revealed no health risk arising from PHE consumption with fruits for the population of Poland.

Download Full-text

A Comparative Study of Water Quality and Human Health Risk Assessment in Longevity Area and Adjacent Non-Longevity Area

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16193737 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (19) ◽

pp. 3737

Author(s):

Jiawen Yu ◽

Jinlong Zhou ◽

Aihua Long ◽

Xinlin He ◽

Xiaoya Deng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Assessment ◽

Health Risk ◽

Groundwater Quality ◽

Human Health ◽

Health Risk Assessment ◽

Human Health Risk ◽

Water Environment ◽

Carcinogenic Risk ◽

Control Groups ◽

Quality Grade

A longevity area in Xinjiang, China and an adjacent non-longevity area both have similar climatic and hydrogeological conditions, and the residents of the two control groups have similar ethnic composition, diets and lifestyles. This study investigated if differences in groundwater quality between the longevity area and the non-longevity area are associated with the health of residents in the two control groups. In order to quantitatively describe the groundwater quality of the two control groups and its influence on human health, the Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation Method (FCEM) was used to compare and assess the overall water environment of the two control groups. Furthermore, the human health risk of groundwater for the two control groups was assessed using the Health Risk Assessment Model recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). Results showed that the overall water environment categories for the longevity area and non-longevity area are moderate quality (grade III) and very poor quality (grade V), respectively. The main health risk in the longevity area water environment is the non-carcinogenic risk (HQLLV) caused by Cl−. The main health risks in the non-longevity area water environment are the non-carcinogenic risk (HQCA) caused by Cl− and the carcinogenic risk (RiskCA) caused by As. The total health risk (HRall) caused by over-standard inorganic pollutants in the water environment of the non-longevity area is 3.49 times higher than that of the longevity area. In addition, the study showed that the water environment pollution downstream of the Keriya River is conjunctively caused by agricultural activities and domestic sewage. The overall water environment of the longevity area is more conducive to the health-longevity of residents than the non-longevity area.

Download Full-text

Application of Geostatistical Analysis and Random Forest for Source Analysis and Human Health Risk Assessment of Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs) in Arable Land Soil

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17249296 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (24) ◽

pp. 9296

Author(s):

Liang Xiao ◽

Yong Zhou ◽

He Huang ◽

Yu-Jie Liu ◽

Ke Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Assessment ◽

Random Forest ◽

Health Risk ◽

Human Health ◽

Health Risk Assessment ◽

Toxic Elements ◽

Arable Land ◽

Human Health Risk ◽

Carcinogenic Risk ◽

Potentially Toxic Elements

Arable land soil is one of the most precious natural resources of Earth, it provides the fundamental material and numerous resources essential for the development of human society. To determine the pollution of potential toxic factors in the surface soil of cultivated land and its risks to human health, concentrations of five different potentially toxic elements (PTEs) were detected in 1109 soil samples collected in Xiangzhou, China, in 2019. In this study, health risk assessment was used to judge the degree of pollution in the study area, the result of Geographic Information System (GIS) was as used to research the spatial distribution characteristics of PTEs, and random forest (RF) was used to assess the natural and man-made influencing factors. We investigated the sources of PTEs through quantifying the indicators, which gave further insights. The main results are: (1) In arable land soil, the average content of PTEs is 0.14 mg/kg cadmium (Cd), 0.05 mg/kg mercury (Hg), 12.89 mg/kg arsenic (As), 29.23 mg/kg lead (Pb), and 78.58 mg/kg chromium (Cr), respectively. The content of As and Pb outpaced the background value of Hubei soil. (2) The human health risk assessment in Xiangzhou indicates that the most important exposure pathway is soil ingestion, occupied about 99% to health risks of PTEs; non-carcinogenic risk from exposure to As, Pb and Cr in soil was higher than the limit (overall potential risk index, HI > 1) for both children and adults. Moreover, carcinogenic risk postured by Cd, Cr, and As was higher than the limit (10−4) through soil exposure for both children and adults, indicating that Cd, As, Pb and Cr in soil have significant effect on people’s health through exposure. (3) We found that the increased PTEs in the arable land soil mainly originated from potential water sources, air and soil pollution sources, breeding farms, and mining areas.

Download Full-text

Biomonitoring of Heavy Metals in the Guava (Psidium guajava) for Their Health Risk Assessment in Kluang, Malaysia

Food Science and Engineering ◽

10.37256/fse.212021691 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Chee Kong Yap ◽

Azlini Razali ◽

Rosimah Nulit ◽

Shih Hao Tony Peng ◽

Chee Wah Yap ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metals ◽

Risk Assessment ◽

Health Risk ◽

Human Health ◽

Health Risk Assessment ◽

Human Health Risk ◽

Daily Intake ◽

Contamination Factor ◽

World Health ◽

Target Hazard Quotient

This study aimed to investigate the concentrations of copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and iron (Fe) in different parts of guava (pulps, peels and seeds) and its topsoil collected from Kluang, Malaysia, and to assess their effects on human health. The level of metals was determined using acid digestion method and atomic absorption spectrometry. The result showed that the concentrations of Cu, Zn and Pb in all parts of guava were above the World Health Organization (WHO) permissible limits. However, the value of heavy metals in the topsoil were below the WHO limit. The concentration order of the metals in the guava's pulps was Fe > Cu > Zn > Pb > Ni. The contamination factor (Cf ) calculated from the topsoil were low for Cu, Zn and Ni and moderate for Pb. However, potential ecological risk (Er) of individual metal ranged from 0.25-7.58 for Cu, Zn, Pb and Ni was low. The potential non-carcinogenic health risk for consumers was assessed using estimated daily intake (EDI) and target hazard quotient (THQ). The contribution of heavy metals to the EDI for all consumers followed the order of Fe > Cu > Zn > Pb > Ni. The THQ values are all below 1 for all five metals tested, indicating no potential risk to the consumers. We suggest that the Kluang's guava is safe to consume. However, regular monitoring and human health risk assessment of heavy metals in the guava is recommended to be carried out.

Download Full-text

Human health risk assessment of heavy metals via consumption of fish from Kao Bay

Reviews on Environmental Health ◽

10.1515/reveh-2020-0023 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 35 (3) ◽

pp. 257-263

Author(s):

Hasnawati Amqam ◽

Dahlan Thalib ◽

Daud Anwar ◽

Saifuddin Sirajuddin ◽

Anwar Mallongi

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metals ◽

Risk Assessment ◽

Health Risk ◽

Human Health ◽

Health Risk Assessment ◽

Fish Consumption ◽

Human Health Risk ◽

Daily Intake ◽

Human Health Risk Assessment ◽

Risk Level

AbstractWater pollution by heavy metals due to discharge from gold mining activity has threatened the aquatic environment and human health of the community around Kao Bay. This report review explores the level of mercury and arsenic in the fish and the health risk of fish consumption within the community around Kao Bay. Fish from 10 spots in the bay were analyzed for mercury and arsenic using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry. Community members around Kao Bay were interviewed for details of their fish consumption. Daily intake of metals and health risk level were also calculated. All of the fish caught contained mercury (mean of 0.2110 ug/g) and arsenic (mean of 0.422 ug/g). This heavy metal concentration exceeds the allowable level for food standard. The human health risk assessment showed that the fish caught from Kao Bay were not safe for human consumption (RQ>1). The hazard risk quotient based on cancer and non-cancer was more than one. As many as 49 of 52 people living around Kao Bay have a risk from mercury and arsenic exposure via fish consumption. The magnitude of HQ and ECR values for most fish indicates that it is not safe for consumption.

Download Full-text

Human Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals and Metalloids in Herbal Medicines Used to Treat Anxiety: Monitoring of Safety

Frontiers in Pharmacology ◽

10.3389/fphar.2021.772928 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Ana C. R. Geronimo ◽

Elaine S. P. Melo ◽

Kassia R. N. Silva ◽

Hugo S. Pereira ◽

Valdir A. Nascimento ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metals ◽

Risk Assessment ◽

Health Risk ◽

Human Health ◽

Health Risk Assessment ◽

Human Health Risk ◽

Daily Intake ◽

Herbal Medicines ◽

Elemental Impurities ◽

Heavy Metals And Metalloids

The present study estimated the human health risk assessment and daily intake of heavy metals and metalloids in herbal medicines used to treat anxiety in Brazil. Six different brands of herbal medicines were purchased in the city of Campo Grande/MS, Brazil: Pasalix®, Calman®, Serenus®, Maracugina®, Prakalmar® and Calmasyn®. In total, eight elements including As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, and Pb were analyzed using optical emission spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma (ICP OES). Only the concentration of As in the herbal medicine Prakalmar® is above the values established by United States Pharmacopoeia Convention (USP) and Brazilian Pharmacopoeia (BF) for permitted concentration of elemental impurities in drugs substances. The concentration of Ba, Cd, Co, Cr and Cu in all herbal medicines are lower than the values set by USP and FB. The concentration of Pb in Calman® is lower than the limits established by BF, but higher than those established by USP. Pasalix, Serenus®, Calmasyn®, Prakalmar® and Marcacugina® have a higher Pb concentration than the values allowed by USP and BF. All herbal medications have concentrations within safe ranges for human consumption, with the exception of Calmasyn®, which has Pb over the value defined by USP for oral permissible daily exposure (PDE) for elemental impurities. The values of estimated daily intake (EDI) of metal (loid)s in adults and children obtained from the consumption of the herbal medicines are below the values stipulated by the minimal risk levels (MRLs). All the hazard index (HI) values recorded in this study were below 1. However, monitoring by regulatory agency is necessary, large doses of heavy metal may cause acute or chronic toxicities.

Download Full-text