Quantitative risk assessment on the dietary exposure of Finnish children and adults to nitrite

Abstract

Nitrite intake from the consumption of cured meat and tap water was estimated for Finnish children of 1, 3 and 6 years as well as Finnish adults of 25-74 years. Nitrite content in the foods was measured by capillary electrophoresis, and was then used together with individual food consumption data from the FINDIET 2007 and DIPP studies in a stochastic exposure assessment by a Monte Carlo Risk Assessment (MCRA) program. Nitrite intake from additive sources and tap water was assessed, and more than every 10th child between the ages 3 and 6 years was estimated to have a nitrite intake exceeding the acceptable daily intake (ADI) of nitrite. The high exposure levels were caused by frequent consumption of large portions of sausages, up to 350 g day(-1) or 750 g in 3 days, among the children. Median nitrite intake from cured meat was 0.016, 0.040, 0.033 and 0.005 mg kg(-1) body weight day(-1) for children of 1, 3 and 6 years and adults, respectively. Bayesian estimation was employed to determine safe consumption levels of sausages and cold cuts for children, and these results gave rise to new national food consumption advice.

Food and Nutrient Intake and Nutrient Sources in 1-Year-Old Infants in Finland: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

“…The frequent consumption of meat dishes, especially red meat dishes, in our study infants can be regarded as a concern due to possibly high content of nitrites/nitrates [ 44 ] and protein in red meat products, and acknowledging the observed associations between high consumption of red meat and increased risk of several chronic diseases [ 45 , 46 ]. Albeit, we could not determine the absolute amount of meat consumed.…”

Dietary Heavy Metal Exposure among Finnish Adults in 2007 and in 2012

“…On the other hand, long-time exposure to lead can affect the foetus also later, as lead from the bones may end up in the blood with changes in the bone metabolism during pregnancy [11]. The estimated lead exposure of adults and that of young children [24] were used to estimate the national burden of disease due to dietary lead in [30]. Of the three chemical hazards assessed in that reference, lead had the highest burden of disease.…”

“…Cadmium exposure is mainly below the tolerable weekly intake (TWI) determined for kidney damage, but for a part of the adult population the cadmium exposure is at a level where reference [16] found increased osteoporotic fractures. Previously [24], we had assessed that approximately 90% of Finnish children exceed the TWI of cadmium. In the light of these findings, Finland's derogation to limit the cadmium content of fertilizers, thus lowering its occurrence in plant-based foodstuffs, is appropriate.…”

“…The occurrence data on cadmium, lead, arsenic and mercury in foodstuffs were partly collected previously and reported by Suomi et al [24]. These data were supplemented in this project with newer data from the Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira (currently Finnish Food Authority), Finnish Customs Laboratory, anonymised industrial data given by the Finnish Food and Drink Industries' Federation, as well as literature data.…”

Assessment of the Inhibitory Effect of Nisin (E234) on Salmonella typhimurium and Bacillus subtilis in Chicken Sausage

“…Although Nitrite shows the beneficial effect as a preservative, there are some adverse effects on human health. It is because of the production of nitrosamine which is carcinogenic to human [4], [5], [6]. And also its effective antimicrobial ability is efficient if the product's pH is lower than 7 [7].…”