Levels of Cd, Hg, As, Cu, Mn, and Zn in Japanese restaurant and box lunches.

Intakes of selected elements from restaurant and box lunches in Shiga Prefecture (Japan) were investigated in 1993 and 1994, respectively. Average intakes of these elements from restaurant and box lunches were, respectively, 14 and 12 micrograms for Cd, 4.6 and 4.5 micrograms for Hg, 85 and 91 micrograms for As, 461 and 561 micrograms for Cu, 1268 and 1235 micrograms for Mn, and 3612 and 2688 micrograms of Zn. There were no great differences between the intakes from the restaurant lunches in 1993 and the box lunches in 1994. The proportion of elements from the lunches constituted 25-38% of the daily intake for Cd, As, Mn, and Zn and 51-65% of the daily intake for Hg.