An effective dietary survey framework for the assessment of total dietary arsenic intake in Bangladesh: Part-A—FFQ design

Groundwater contaminated with arsenic (As), when extensively used for irrigation, causes potentially long term detrimental effects to the landscape. Such contamination can also directly affect human health when irrigated crops are primarily used for human consumption. Therefore, a large number of humans are potentially at risk worldwide due to daily As exposure. Numerous previous studies have been severely limited by small sample sizes which are not reliably extrapolated to large populations or landscapes. Human As exposure and risk assessment are no longer simple assessments limited to a few food samples from a small area. The focus of more recent studies has been to perform risk assessment at the landscape level involving the use of biomarkers to identify and quantify appropriate health problems and large surveys of human dietary patterns, supported by analytical testing of food, to quantify exposure. This approach generates large amounts of data from a wide variety of sources and geographic information system (GIS) techniques have been used widely to integrate the various spatial, demographic, social, field, and laboratory measured datasets. With the current worldwide shift in emphasis from qualitative to quantitative risk assessment, it is likely that future research efforts will be directed towards the integration of GIS, statistics, chemistry, and other dynamic models within a common platform to quantify human health risk at the landscape level. In this paper we review the present and likely future trends of human As exposure and GIS application in risk assessment at the landscape level.     

Toxic metal health risk by mussel consumption

Seafood is a major dietary food worldwide. However, seafood consumption by humans can induce health risk because seafood may be contaminated by various pollutants. The mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis is widely distributed in the coastal waters of Montenegro, SouthEast Adriatic Sea. Here, Zn, Fe, Cu, Ni, Cd, Pb, As, and Hg contents in M. galloprovincialis from ten sites were analyzed to investigate health risks associated with the consumption of wild and cultivated mussels. Since there is a lack of data on the mussel consumption rate in Montenegro, the amount of mussels that can be ingested weekly over a lifetime with no risk of negative health effects was calculated using provisional tolerable weekly intakes (PTWI). We found that Cd concentrations were the limiting factor for mussels as a food. The weekly consumptions of 0.64–1.2 kg of fresh wild and 0.84–1.2 kg of fresh cultivated mussel would be sufficient to reach the PTWI_Cd, which may result in a risky weekly intake of Cd for long-term exposure. Moreover, weekly intake of 125 g mussels was used to calculate the dietary intake of trace elements by mussel consumption and compared with the prescribed PTWIs. Here, we found that there is no risk for human health for all investigated elements. In this case, the highest Cd level obtained in wild and in cultivated mussels represents 19.8 and 14.9% of the PTWI_Cd, respectively. This is the first study in Montenegro giving an assessment of the health risk from trace elements via the consumption of wild and cultivated M. galloprovincialis.     

重庆市居民重金属膳食摄入水平研究

为了解重庆市居民砷、镉、汞的膳食摄入水平,采用分层多级整群随机抽样方法,经城乡经济排序,并按公共营养学要求,选取重庆市1213户居民为调查对象,应用中国总膳食研究方法,采集了当地12类主要食物样品,采用原子吸收分光光度法(AAS)和冷原子吸收分光光度法(CVAAS)测定了砷、镉、汞的含量,并运用FAO/WHO推荐的ADI值/PTWI值评价了居民膳食摄入的健康风险.结果显示,1)蛋类砷含量为允许限量的3.0倍;水果类镉含量为允许限量的2.4倍,汞含量为允许限量的4.0倍;2)各年龄组对砷、汞的膳食摄入量均低于ADI值,对镉的摄入量则大大超过ADI值.谷类和水果是各年龄组人群摄入砷、镉的主要膳食来源,水果类是汞的主要膳食来源;3)农村居民摄入的3种重金属含量均低于城镇居民,城乡居民对砷、汞的摄入量在允许限量ADI值的范围内,但通过食物摄入的镉含量超过了允许限量ADI值,达到ADI值的121%.     

Principles and application of an in vivo swine assay for the determination of arsenic bioavailability in contaminated matrices

The assessment of arsenic (As) bioavailability from contaminated matrices is a crucial parameter for reducing the uncertainty when estimating exposure for human health risk assessment. In vivo assessment of As utilising swine is considered an appropriate model for human health risk assessment applications as swine are remarkably similar to humans in terms of physiology and As metabolism. While limited in vivo As bioavailability data is available in the literature, few details have been provided regarding technical considerations for performing in vivo assays. This paper describes, with examples, surgical, experimental design and analytical issues associated with performing chronic and acute in vivo swine assays to determine As bioavailability in contaminated soil and food.     

Selenium and arsenic content of agricultural soils from Bangladesh and Nepal

Arsenic (As) contamination of the available domestic drinking water from shallow aquifers to villagers in Bangladesh often exceeds the newest WHO standard of <10 µg As L^?1 and the older Bangladeshi standard of <50 µg As L^?1. An estimated 9.2 million shallow tube wells in Bangladesh deliver water to 97% of the rural population, placing an estimated 57 million people at risk for arsenicosis. The contamination of drinking water by As extends to W. Bengal, India and Nepal. The same shallow aquifers used for domestic water are also used to irrigate food crops, particularly rice. Irrigation adds As to soils and increases exposure of the population to additional As via foods consumed. Selenium (Se), an essential trace mineral found in soils, is absorbed by plants, entering the human food chain. It was suggested that a low dietary intake of Se may be contributing to the problem of human arsenicosis in Bangladesh. Dietary Se acts as a natural antidote to As by (1) accelerating As excretion, (2) sequestering As by complexation and (3) as an antioxidant component of the enzyme glutathione peroxidase that may counteract the prooxidant effects of As that contribute to arsenicosis and cancer. Analysis of 70 agricultural soil samples from Bangladesh by fluorimetry, ICP-AES and Neutron Activation Analysis showed the soils analyzed to be high in As (～33 µg g^?1) and biologically low in soluble Se (～0.02 µg g^?1). A low dietary intake of Se related to low soil content and this mineral in foods may be contributing to human arsenicosis in the Ganges–Brahmaputra delta.     

Health risk assessment maps for arsenic groundwater content: application of national geochemical databases

This investigation assesses the feasibility of calculating and visualizing health risk estimates from exposure to groundwater contaminated with arsenic (As) using data from national geochemical databases. The potential health risk associated with As-contaminated groundwater was assessed based on an elaboration of existing geochemical data in accordance with accepted methodological procedures established for human health risk assessment (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency methodology). A screening analysis approach was used for estimating the contribution of As to the total chronic health risk from exposure to groundwater contaminated with potentially toxic elements, including As, Ba, Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, Sb, Se and Zn, and the results indicate that As contributes significantly (>50%) to this total health chronic risk in about 10% of Slovak territory. Based on the calculation of the potential risk level by exposure modelling, increased chronic as well as carcinogenic risk levels (medium to high) were documented in approximately 0.2 and 11% of the total Slovak area, respectively. The areas characterized by high health risk levels are mainly those geogenically contaminated. High and very high carcinogenic risk was determined in 34 of 79 districts and in 528 of 2924 municipalities.     

环境多介质中PCDD/Fs人群健康风险评价——以珠江三角洲为例

基于珠江三角洲不同环境介质（水体、大气和土壤）及食物中PCDD/Fs的研究资料,利用VLIER-HUMAAN模型评估了该区域不同暴露途径下PCDD/Fs对人群潜在健康风险。结果表明：珠江三角洲地区人群平均每日摄入PCDD/Fs的量（TDI）为3.312 pg WHO1998-TEQ/kg·d-1,低于世界卫生组织（WHO）组织推荐的容许标准（4 pg WHO1998-TEQ/kg·d-1）。从暴露途径来看,珠江三角洲地区成年人摄入PCDD/Fs的主要途径食物摄取,约占了98.0%。在食物暴露中,水产品是主要途径,约占总摄入量的70%,蔬菜和肉蛋类分别占了16.6%和10.5%,其它较低。水产品是PCDD/Fs引起人群健康风险的重要风险源,应采取有效措施保障水产品质量,同时,调整饮食结构,降低PCDD/Fs暴露的潜在风险。     

Human health ambient water quality criteria for 13 heavy metals and health risk assessment in Taihu Lake

• The concentrations of 13 heavy metals in Taihu Lake were analyzed. • Aquatic vegetables intake was first included in deriving human health AWQC. • The human health AWQC for 13 heavy metals in Taihu Lake were derived. • Human health risk assessment for 13 heavy metals were conducted in Taihu Lake. Heavy metals are widely concerning because of their toxicity, persistence, non-degradation and bioaccumulation ability. Human health ambient water quality criteria (AWQC) are specific levels of chemicals that can occur in water without harming human health. At present, most countries do not consider the effects of aquatic vegetables in deriving human health AWQC. Therefore, the intake of aquatic vegetables (Brasenia schreberi) was added to the derivation of human health AWQC and a health risk assessment for 13 heavy metals in Taihu Lake. The human health AWQC (consumption of water, fish and aquatic vegetables) values of 13 heavy metals ranged from 0.04 (Cd) to 710.87 μg/L (Sn), and the intake of B. schreberi had a very significant effect on the human health AWQC for Cu, with a more than 62-fold difference. The hazard quotients of As (2.8), Cd (1.6), Cr (1.4) and Cu (4.86) were higher than the safe level (HQ= 1), indicating that As, Cd, Cr and Cu in Taihu Lake posed a significant health risk. Sensitivity analysis showed that the contribution rate of B. schreberi intake to the human health risk from Cu was 91.6%, and all results indicated that the risk of Cu in B. schreberi to human health should be of particular concern. This study adds the consideration of aquatic vegetable consumption to the traditional method of human health AWQC derivation and risk assessments for the first time, and this approach can promote the development of risk assessments and water quality criteria.     

基于RICEWQ—EXAMS模型的东苕溪流域稻田用药的水生生态及健康风险评价

构建了东苕溪流域水稻地表水暴露场景,对国外已广泛应用的稻田-地表水暴露评价模型（RICEWQ—EX—AMS）进行二次开发,并应用构建的场景和开发的模型对东苕溪流域稻田常用农药品种进行水生生态风险评价和健康风险评价。结果表明,在所评价的10种东苕溪流域常用农药品种中,除草剂氟乐灵对藻具有急性高风险,杀虫剂硫丹对鱼既具有急性高风险,又具有慢性风险,阿维菌素对泾具有急性高风险,氟铃脲对涵既具有急性高风险,又具有慢性风险,其余品种对鱼、溢和藻的急慢性风险均较低。运用传统评价法和风险评价模型计算法得出了相一致的结论,即所评价的10个农药品种对人体健康均无风险,该评价结果与所评价农药的实际风险表现较吻合。认为所构建的场景、模型能较好地用于东苕溪流域稻田农药品种的风险评价。     

Probabilistic health risk assessment for ingestion of seafood farmed in arsenic contaminated groundwater in Taiwan

Seafood farmed in arsenic (As)-contaminated areas is a major exposure pathway for the ingestion of inorganic As by individuals in the southwestern part of Taiwan. This study presents a probabilistic risk assessment using limited data for inorganic As intake through the consumption of the seafood by local residents in these areas. The As content and the consumption rate are both treated as probability distributions, taking into account the variability of the amount in the seafood and individual consumption habits. The Monte Carlo simulation technique is utilized to conduct an assessment of exposure due to the daily intake of inorganic As from As-contaminated seafood. Exposure is evaluated according to the provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI) established by the FAO/WHO and the target risk based on the US Environmental Protection Agency guidelines. The assessment results show that inorganic As intake from five types of fish (excluding mullet) and shellfish fall below the PTWI threshold values for the 95th percentiles, but exceed the target cancer risk of 10^?6. The predicted 95th percentile for inorganic As intake and lifetime cancer risks obtained in the study are both markedly higher than those obtained in previous studies in which the consumption rate of seafood considered is a deterministic value. This study demonstrates the importance of the individual variability of seafood consumption when evaluating a high exposure sub-group of the population who eat higher amounts of fish and shellfish than the average Taiwanese.     

铜仁市土壤-玉米重金属含量及其健康风险

为了解铜仁市玉米地土壤和玉米籽粒重金属的含量分布特征,并评估当地居民通过玉米籽粒摄入重金属的健康风险.于2018年7月采集了铜仁市自然土壤样品65个、玉米地土壤样品122个和玉米样品100个,并分析其Cd、Pb、Cu、Zn、Ni、As、Hg含量,通过重金属摄入量评价居民膳食暴露的健康风险.结果表明,自然土壤Cd、Pb、...     

Arsenic levels in rice grain and assessment of daily dietary intake of arsenic from rice in arsenic-contaminated regions of Bangladesh—implications to groundwater irrigation

Chronic exposure to arsenic (As) causes significant human health effects, including various cancers and skin disorders. Naturally elevated concentrations of As have been detected in the groundwater of Bangladesh. Dietary intake and drinking water are the major routes of As exposure for humans. The objectives of this study were to measure As concentrations in rice grain collected from households in As-affected villages of Bangladesh where groundwater is used for agricultural irrigation and to estimate the daily intake of As consumed by the villagers from rice. The median and mean total As contents in 214 rice grain samples were 131 and 143 μg/kg, respectively, with a range of 2–557 μg/kg (dry weight, dw). Arsenic concentrations in control rice samples imported from Pakistan and India and on sale in Australian supermarkets were significantly lower (p < 0.001) than in rice from contaminated areas. Daily dietary intake of As from rice was 56.4 μg for adults (males and females) while the total daily intake of As from rice and from drinking water was 888.4 and 706.4 μg for adult males and adult females, respectively. From our study, it appears that the villagers are consuming a significant amount of As from rice and drinking water. The results suggest that the communities in the villages studied are potentially at risk of suffering from arsenic-related diseases.     

新疆焉耆盆地农田土壤重金属污染及健康风险评价

为研究新疆焉耆盆地绿洲农田土壤重金属的污染及潜在健康风险,选取194个样点采集土壤样品,测定As、Cd、Cr、Cu、Ni、Pb和Zn共7种重金属元素含量。利用地质累积指数(I_(geo))评价农田土壤污染水平,采用US EPA健康风险评价模型,对农田土壤重金属污染的潜在健康风险进行评估。结果表明,研究区农田土壤7种重金属平均含量均未超出《食用农产品产地环境质量评价标准》中的限值,但Cd、Cr、Ni、Pb和Zn含量平均值分别超出新疆灌耕土背景值的1.67、1.41、1.30、3.01和6.78倍。农田土壤中Zn呈现轻度污染,Cd与Pb呈现轻微污染,As、Cr、Cu与Ni呈现无污染态势。健康风险评估结果表明,经手-口摄入是研究区农田土壤重金属日均暴露量及健康风险主要途径。农田土壤7种重金属通过3种暴露途径的非致癌风险商(HQ)与非致癌风险指数(HI),单项致癌风险指数(CR)与总致癌风险指数(TCR)均小于安全阈值,属于可接受风险水平。研究区农田土壤重金属对儿童的非致癌风险低于成人,致癌风险高于成人。研究区农田土壤中As与Pb是最主要的非致癌风险因子,As是最主要的致癌风险因子,研究区农田土壤中As对人体的健康风险应当引起重视。     

Expositionsabschätzung: Human-Biomonitoring vs. Modellrechnungen

Exposure assessment represents an important and integral part of the assessment of health risks associated with the human exposure to toxic substances in soil and other environmental media. In recent times model calculations are widely used to assess the doses of toxic substances which have been incorporated into the human body via different routes of exposure. The present paper discusses the possibilities and limitations of such model calculations with regard to exposure and risk assessment. A critical point is that the results largely depend on the basic assumptions introduced into the model calculations. Moreover, the results refer to a more or less typical scenario of exposure, although they do not allow any conclusion with regard to individual exposure levels. In contrast, the use of biomarkers of exposure (human biological monitoring) represents a methodological approach to estimate individual exposure levels of subjects exposed to toxic substances in a given situation. In practice, the identification of persons at risk and the exclusion of individual health risks can only be based on human biological monitoring studies. Exposure assessment based on theoretical calculations and exposure assessment based on biomarkers of exposure and effects should be regarded as complementary approaches in exposure and risk assessment.     

农田土壤镉生物有效性及暴露评估研究进展

随着工业化和城市化进程的发展,我国在农田土壤污染领域面临较大挑战,其中镉(Cd)为最优先控制元素之一。农田土壤Cd污染风险类型为健康风险,其主要暴露途径为经土壤-植物系统,并经膳食进入人体。在当前的土壤Cd风险评估中,一般不考虑生物有效性问题,这使得风险评价中实际暴露评估的不确定性普遍偏高。所以,近年来欧洲国家有许多研究者提出将生物有效性因素放在土壤污染物风险评价框架内。基于此,本文立足于农田系统,并从土壤、植物、污染物及环境因素等4个方面详细综述了农田土壤Cd生物有效性的影响因素及其作用机理。其次,分别综述了近年来土壤Cd生物有效性预测模型和土壤Cd膳食暴露评估模型研究进展。最后,分析了我国土壤重金属风险评价中存在的不足,并对农田土壤Cd暴露评估发展态势和研究方向进行了初步预测,以期为农田土壤Cd健康风险评估及安全基准研究提供一定参考。     

Health risk assessment of groundwater arsenic pollution in southern Taiwan

Residents of the Pingtung Plain, Taiwan, use groundwater for drinking. However, monitoring results showed that a considerable portion of groundwater has an As concentration higher than the safe drinking water regulation of 10 μg/L. Considering residents of the Pingtung Plain continue to use groundwater for drinking, this study attempted to evaluate the exposure and health risk from drinking groundwater. The health risk from drinking groundwater was evaluated based on the hazard quotient (HQ) and target risk (TR) established by the US Environmental Protection Agency. The results showed that the 95th percentile of HQ exceeded 1 and TR was above the safe value of threshold value of 10^?6. To illustrate significant variability of the drinking water consumption rate and body weight of each individual, health risk assessments were also performed using a spectrum of daily water intake rate and body weight to reasonably and conservatively assess the exposure and health risk for the specific subgroups of population of the Pingtung Plain. The assessment results showed that 0.01–7.50 % of the population’s HQ levels are higher than 1 and as much as 77.7–93.3 % of the population being in high cancer risk category and having a TR value >10^?6. The TR estimation results implied that groundwater use for drinking purpose places people at risk of As exposure. The government must make great efforts to provide safe drinking water for residents of the Pingtung Plain.     

准东煤矿区土壤镉污染风险评价及敏感性分析

镉是一种毒性很强的重金属元素,易通过食物链进入人体,对人体健康产生影响。新疆地区的煤炭资源开发已引起重金属污染问题,但目前有关镉污染风险评价的研究相对不足。本研究采用地质累积指数法、潜在生态危害指数法、美国环保局(US EPA)健康风险评估方法和缓冲区分析方法,对准东红沙泉和北山煤矿土壤中镉的污染现状、生态风险水平和健康风险水平做了分析与评价。结果显示:1)研究区土壤镉含量普遍超过国家土壤环境质量Ⅱ级标准,处于重污染水平;2)研究区的镉污染具有极高生态风险;3)镉污染水平和生态风险系数具有明显空间性,它们在研究区的强度排序为堆煤场矿区生活区芨芨湖雀仁乡;4)手-口途径是最主要的健康风险暴露途径,所有人群中儿童暴露风险最高;5)准东煤矿区镉污染水平较高,但其非致癌水平和致癌水平均未超过风险限值;6)矿区周边0~30 km区域内属于健康风险高敏感区域。综上可知:准东地区煤矿开采引起了周边环境镉污染。镉污染对人类健康,特别是儿童的健康具有较高的暴露风险。当地镉污染虽未达到致病水平,但也应引起足够重视。     

含雄黄的中成药中砷的生物可给性及其初步风险评价

为研究含雄黄中成药中砷的含量状况,探明其中砷对人体的健康风险,选取含雄黄的中成药为研究对象,分析其中砷含量;通过人工胃肠体外模拟系统研究中成药中砷的生物可给性,并在此基础上进行初步的人体健康风险评价。结果显示,含雄黄中成药样品中砷全量为9.9×102～8.8×104mg·kg-1。中成药砷的生物可给性在胃阶段为0.20%～2.17%,小肠阶段为0.26%～2.43%。以WHO每日允许摄入量(ADI)为标准的健康风险评价结果表明,若以砷全量衡量,所有含雄黄中成药均对人体健康具有巨大风险;若以小肠阶段可给砷含量评价,砷日摄入量与ADI比值范围为1.48%～879.68%,约70%含雄黄的中成药的可给砷含量仍足以威胁人体健康。     

Shark fin,a symbol of wealth and good fortune may pose health risks: the case of mercury

There is a lack of information concerning human health risks due to exposure to mercury contained in shark fins, through dietary intake. Health risk assessment of shark fins, collected from 5 cities in China: Hong Kong (HK), Beijing, Shanghai (SH), Haikou (HN) and Wenzhou (WZ), was conducted, based on total mercury and methylmercury, and analyzed by a cold vapor atomic fluorescence spectrometry equipped with high-performance liquid chromatography, respectively. The results showed that 16.8 % samples from HK, 8.3 % from SH, 33.3 % from HN, and 16.8 % from WZ were regarded as unsafe for human consumption. Extremely high consumption rates of shark fins for an adult and a child (0.150 and 0.0807 kg/day, respectively), at 95th centile, samples from WZ demonstrated high non-cancer risks (adverse health effects) (Hazard Quotient = 16.0) on adults (aged 25–65), and samples from SH, HN and WZ also showed high non-cancer risks (Hazard Quotient = 12.9, 21.0, and 34.4, respectively) on children (aged 1–7). Consumption of shark fins may be detrimental to human health.     

分析毒理中生物指标的研究

生物指标提供了人体接触有毒化学物质的机体负荷、作用指标和易感性等信息，是现代分析毒理研究中的一个重要内容。本文以多环芳烃的接触指标尿中１－羟基芘的研究为例，着重讨论了生物指标研究在环境健康风险评价中的意义。