Dietary exposure to mycotoxins of the Hong Kong adult population from a Total Diet Study.

Dietary exposure of Hong Kong adults to mycotoxins and their metabolites including aflatoxins (AFs), ochratoxin A (OTA), fumonisins (FNs), deoxynivalenol (DON), acetyldeoxynivalenols (AcDONs) and zearalenone (ZEA) was estimated using the Total Diet Study (TDS) approach to assess the associated health risk to the local people. Sixty commonly consumed food items, collected in four seasons, were sampled and prepared as consumed. These mycotoxins were primarily found at low levels.

Dietary exposure of Hong Kong adults to fatty acid esters of 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol.

A total of 290 individual food samples were collected in Hong Kong, China, for 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) fatty acid esters analysis. Most samples were processed food and in ready-to-eat form. The results show that the levels of 3-MCPD fatty acid esters were high in biscuits, fats and oils, snacks and Chinese pastry with mean bound 3-MCPD levels of 440, 390, 270 and 270 μg kg⁻¹, respectively.

Dietary exposure of Hong Kong adults to nitrate and nitrite from vegetable intake.

The aim of this study was to assess the dietary exposure of adults in Hong Kong to nitrate and nitrite from vegetables. If all vegetables consumed were raw, the dietary exposure to nitrate for average consumers was estimated to be 4.4 mg kg(-1) body weight (bw) day(-1) and, for high consumers, was estimated to be 13 mg kg(-1) bw day(-1), which is about 120 and 350% of acceptable daily intake (ADI), respectively.

Dietary exposure to aluminium of the Hong Kong population.

A total of 256 individual food samples were collected in Hong Kong for aluminium testing. Most of food samples were analysed in ready-to-eat form. High aluminium levels were found in steamed bread/bun/cake (mean: 100-320 mg kg(-1)), some bakery products such as muffin, pancake/waffle, coconut tart and cake (mean: 250, 160, 120 and 91 mg kg(-1), respectively), and jellyfish (ready-to-eat form) (mean: 1200 mg kg(-1)).

Dietary exposure of secondary school students in Hong Kong to benzoic acid in prepackaged non-alcoholic beverages.

This study evaluated the dietary exposure of secondary school students in Hong Kong to benzoic acid from pre-packaged non-alcoholic beverages. Exposure was estimated using local food consumption data of secondary school students obtained by a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire in 2000 and the benzoic acid level detected in pre-packaged beverages, including soft drink (both diet/light and regular types), fruit juice, soy milk, Chinese tea and coffee/tea) available locally in late 2006. The estimated dietary exposure to benzoic acid from pre-packaged beverages of average and high consumers (95(th) percentile) was 0.

Dietary exposure of Hong Kong secondary school students to total mercury and methylmercury from fish intake.

Fish is the main source of dietary exposure to methylmercury (MeHg), which is a public health concern owing to its potential neurotoxicity. To evaluate the public health risk, this study estimated the total mercury (tHg) and MeHg exposure from fish intake in Hong Kong secondary school students. Median tHg and MeHg concentrations of 280 samples purchased from different commercial outlets (covering 89 species of whole fish and three types of canned tuna), together with the local food consumption data of secondary school students obtained by semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire in 2000, were used to estimate dietary exposure from fish intake for the average and high consumer (95th percentile exposure).

Lack of evidence for human-to-human transmission of avian influenza A (H9N2) viruses in Hong Kong, China 1999.

In April 1999, isolation of avian influenza A (H9N2) viruses from humans was confirmed for the first time. H9N2 viruses were isolated from nasopharyngeal aspirate specimens collected from two children who were hospitalized with uncomplicated, febrile, upper respiratory tract illnesses in Hong Kong during March 1999. Novel influenza viruses have the potential to initiate global pandemics if they are sufficiently transmissible among humans.