Risk assessment of rare earth elements, antimony, barium, boron, lithium, tellurium, thallium and vanadium in teas

Abstract

In recent years, a great intensification in the use of various elements especially in modern technology can be observed. However, the anthropogenic activities, including industrialisation, urbanisation or intensive agriculture, have led to the release of many of the elements into the environment. The consequence of the accumulation of the elements both in soil and water systems is their presence in the food chain. Inhalation and consumption of the contaminated food and beverages have been indicated as the main pathways of the exposure to many elements. Due to the fact, that tea is considered the second most popular beverage worldwide and its consumption is constantly increasing, it is crucial to evaluate the safety of the product, especially for toxic elements contamination. Thus, the aim of the project was to evaluate the contamination levels of rare earth elements (REEs) including lanthanides, scandium (Sc) and yttrium (Y) and also antimony (Sb), barium (Ba), boron (B), lithium (Li), tellurium (Te), thallium (Tl) and vanadium (V) in teas. Subsequently, the risk assessment was carried out. Additionally, the Fellowship provided hands‐on training on the evaluation of applications of new biocides and participation in the science‐based advises given to the Danish Food and Veterinary Administration, Danish Environment Protection Agency and Danish Medical Agency.

The Effect of Flake Production and In Vitro Digestion on Releasing Minerals and Trace Elements from Wheat Flakes: The Extended Study of Dietary Intakes for Individual Life Stage Groups

“…The daily performance of ICP-MS in terms of sensitivity and background signals were tested using Tune 7 and 8 solutions with Ag, Al, Ba, Be, Bi, Ce, Co, Cs, Cu, Ga, Ho, In, Li, Mg, Mn, Ni, Rh, Sc, Sr, Ta, Tb, Tl, U, Y, and Zn containing 1 µg/L of each element in 2% HNO 3 and Ba, Bi, Ce, Co, In, Li, and U containing 1 µg/L of each element in 2% HNO 3 + 0.5% HCl. To obtain calibration curves, two sets of internal standards were prepared to match the concentration ranges in the samples: a high standard series of 25 elements ( 7 Li, 9 Be, 11 B, 24 Mg, 27 Al, 45 Sc, 55 Mn, 59 Co, 60 Ni, 63 Cu, 66 Zn, 71 Ga, 88 Sr, 89 Y, 95 Mo, 107 Ag, 133 Cs, 137 Ba, 140 Ce, 159 Tb, 165 Ho, 181 Ta, 205 Tl, 209 Bi, and 238 U) at concentrations of 3-35 µg/L and a low standard series of 18 elements ( 23 Na, 31 P, 32 S, 39 K, 44 Ca, 48 Ti, 51 V, 52 Cr, 57 Fe, 73 Ge, 75 As, 77 Se, 90 Zr, 111 Cd, 118 Sn, 121 Sb, 202 Hg, and 208 Pb) with concentrations between 0.5 and 1.0 µg/L. As internal standards, rhodium ( 103 Rh) and indium ( 115 In) were used at concentrations of 10 and 5 µg/L, respectively.…”

“…Oral exposure to antimony results in burning stomach pains, colic, nausea, and vomiting; additionally, Sb toxicity can negatively affect the liver, skin, and the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. In 2003, the World Health Organization (WHO) determined a total dietary intake (TDI) for Sb of 6 µg/kg bw from drinking water [77,78], indicating that the population is generally exposed to low amounts of Sb [79].…”

“…Kidney disorders are associated with long-term Ba exposures. The TDI value for Ba was established as 0.2 mg/kg bw [77,80].…”

“…Therefore, nutritional requirements or intake recommendations for V have not been established. Nonetheless, high V concentrations can cause irreversible damage to the kidneys and some of its chemical forms may trigger gastrointestinal problems, such as diarrhoea, vomiting, intestinal inflammation, and a characteristic green tongue [77]. On the other hand, V deficiency could result in hypothyroidism and may exacerbate the effects of pre-existing iodine deficiency.…”

“…Li may negatively influence renal functions, with the most common disorder being nephrogenic diabetes insipidus. Li can also affect thyroid functions; asymptomatic hypothyroidism has been observed in patients being treated with Li [77]. The estimations for daily Li intake vary a lot, from several units to several thousands of µg per day.…”