Exposure assessment of the population in Poland to the toxic effects of arsenic compounds present in rice and rice based products.

Background: Rice is a staple food for many people in the world and an important ingredient for production of food for infants and young children. According to European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), cereals, primarily rice and rice products, are an important source of human exposure to inorganic arsenic, which has been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as group I carcinogen. Arsenic is present in rice and rice products mainly as an inorganic form being more toxic than organic compounds

Objectives: The aim of the study was to determine the total and inorganic arsenic content in rice, rice-based products including food for infants and young children available on the market in Poland and thus to estimate consumer exposure to inorganic arsenic from these groups of foodstuffs

Materials And Methods: A total of 62 samples of rice and rice products from trade, including a group of rice products for infants and young children, were tested.

Total and inorganic arsenic in fish, seafood and seaweeds--exposure assessment.

Background: According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), fish, seafood and seaweeds are foodstuffs that significantly contribute to dietary arsenic intake. With the exception of some algal species, the dominant compounds of arsenic in such food products are the less toxic organic forms. Both the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) and EFSA recommend that speciation studies be performed to determine the different chemical forms in which arsenic is present in food due to the differences in their toxicity.

Exposure to lead and cadmium released from ceramics and glassware intended to come into contact with food.

Background: The dietary intake of harmful elements, particularly lead and cadmium constitutes a health threat and essential measures should be undertaken to reduce consumer exposure. The latest risk assessments by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) have indicated that the Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake (PTWI) for lead and cadmium do not ensure health safety and their review had to be undertaken. Migration from ceramics and glassware intended for food contact is an important source of lead and cadmium intake.

Human exposure asseessment to different arsenic species in tea.

Background: Inorganic forms of arsenic are much more highly toxic to humans than organic species. Their effects include being carcinogenic, genotoxic and neurotoxic, where in the latter case, above all, they affect nervous system development in the foetus, infants and children. The main foodstuffs contributing significantly to its total dietary intake are drinking water, rice (and its products), fish, seafood, cereals, seaweed, root vegetables, food supplements, mushrooms and tea.

[Fish and seafood as a source of human exposure to methylmercury].

Fish and seafood are recommended diet constituents providing high quality protein, vitamins, minerals and omega-3 fatty acids, mainly eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). However, these foodstuffs can also be the major source ofmethylmercury intake in humans. In general, more than 90% of the mercury in fish is found as methylmercury, but contents of methylmercury can vary considerably between species.