Analyzing health risks for employable population caused by food products contamination (experience gained in Samara region)

Abstract

Nowadays it is essential to provide safe nutrition for population via activities aimed at reducing risks related to adverse effects produced by contaminants on people's health; such activities include those accomplished within the state sanitary-epidemiologic surveillance. As per data provided by Samara Regional Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology, 71,204 food products samples were analyzed; analysis focused on contents of heavy metals (cadmium, mercury, lead, and arsenic), pesticides (hexachlorocyclohexane or HCCH, Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane or DDT,) nitrates, nitrites, aflatoxin B1, and benzpyrene. Next, exposure was assessed and risks of carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic effects were calculated. Analysis of an aggregated hazard index created as per median values of contaminants contents revealed that arsenic made a substantial contribution into risks which was equal to 48 %. The second rank place belonged to cadmium that accounted for 14 %; the third one was occupied with nitrates, 12 %. The following food products groups contributed into the aggregated hazard index: melons and vegetables (23 %), bread and grocery (22 %), milk and milk products (12 %), meat and meat products (11 %), fruit and berries (9 %). It was shown that simultaneous introduction of the examined contaminants taking into account the highest non-carcinogenic risks exerted the most adverse impacts on the hormonal system due to combined exposure to cadmium, mercury, lead, arsenic, and DDT. We assessed carcinogenic risks caused by combined introduction of the contaminants taking into account their median concentrations and revealed that the risks were within the third range. We designed evolution models for carcinogenic risks basing on calculated consumption of various food products both as per median concentrations and 90%-percentile; it allowed us to assess these risks as being "negligible". It was shown that the state sanitary-epidemiologic surveillance in Samara region accomplished all the necessary activities as regards monitoring over quality and safety of food products, both domestic and imported.