Abstract
Lead exposure is associated with a wide range of adverse effects on human health. The principal exposure route in the general population is through the diet. In this study, we estimate the dietary lead intake and associated health risks among the residents of Guangzhou, China. Data on lead concentrations were derived from the food safety risk monitoring system, which included 6339 samples from 27 food categories collected in 2014–2017. Food consumption data were taken from a 2011 dietary survey of 2960 Guangzhou residents from 998 households. Dietary lead intake was estimated by age group (3–6, 7–17, 18–59, and ≥60 years), and relevant health risks were assessed using the margin of exposure (MOE) method. The mean and 95th percentiles (P95) of dietary lead intake were respectively 0.7466 and 2.4525 μg/kg body weight per day for preschool children aged 3–6 years; 0.4739 and 1.5522 μg/kg bw/day for school children aged 7–17 years; 0.3759 and 1.1832 μg/kg bw/day for adults aged 18–59 years; and 0.4031 and 1.3589 μg/kg bw/day for adults aged ≥60 years. The MOE value was less than 1 for preschool children at the mean exposure level and for all age groups at the P95 exposure level. Rice and its products, leafy vegetables, and wheat flour and its products were found to be the primary food sources of lead exposure. Our findings suggest that the health risk from dietary lead exposure is low for Guangzhou residents overall, but that young children and consumers of certain foods may be at increased risk. Continued efforts are needed to reduce the dietary lead exposure in Guangzhou.
Highlights
Lead is a heavy metal that is naturally present in the Earth’s crust
Lead concentrations were below the limit of detection (LOD) in 28.4% of the 6339 food samples, yielding a detection rate of 71.6%
Lead concentrations in all other food categories were lower than 0.02 mg/kg, with the lowest concentrations found in milk (0.0036 mg/kg) and milk powder (0.0071 mg/kg)
Summary
High levels of lead in the environment are primarily due to anthropogenic factors such as mining and smelting, battery manufacturing, recycling of waste batteries, burning of coal, and use of leaded petrol, leaded paints, and lead piping [1,2]. The level of lead in the environment has risen by more than 1000 times over the last three centuries due to human activity [3]. The Chinese government has already taken note of the severity of this situation and has adopted a series of measures to reduce lead levels. The sale and use of leaded gasoline have been banned nationwide since 1 July 2000 [5], and lead standards were implemented in 2002 and 2004 for
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