Public health risks caused by contamination of local food products

Abstract

Food safety is a major concern around the world due to toxic metal contamination in food and associated health risks. Vegetables, cereals and baked goods make up a large part of a healthy human diet as vital sources of nutrients, minerals and fiber. Long-term intake of metals with food facilitates their accumulation in the human body. The study aimed to assess health risks for adults and children caused by alimentary intake of chemical elements with local food products. The study was conducted in the Republic of Bashkortostan, which is a territory with a developed agricultural and industrial complex. A total of 524 plant samples were selected and analyzed to identify levels of lead, cadmium, copper, zinc, iron, nickel and aluminum in them by using atomic absorption analysis. Samples included bakery and cereal products sold in the republic and vegetable products from private farms. The article describes the results of hygienic assessment with its focus on contents of essential and toxic elements in locally produced foods. Intake of contaminants with local food products was established based on the data on average food consumption per capita. We determined contributions made by two groups of traditional mass-consumption products to the total exposure that influences health of people living in different districts across the republic. The study established the total hazard quotient of non-carcinogenic effects to be higher than its threshold vale and to equal 3.43 for children and 1.54 for adults. The greatest contributions to the total hazard quotients were made by copper (45 %) and cadmium (30 %). Our as-sessment of carcinogenic risks caused by intake of contaminants with foods revealed that the total health risk as per the median value corresponded to its permissible level.