Dietary exposure to chromium and associated health risks in Chongqing

Abstract

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to evaluate the dietary exposure level of chromium （Cr） and its potential health risks among residents of Chongqing.MethodsCr concentration data were obtained from the Food Safety Risk Monitoring System， which included 2 780 Cr-containing food samples from nine categories in Chongqing from 2018 to 2021. Food consumption data were derived from the Chongqing Diet Survey Data of the China Health and Nutrition Survey Project 2018 （3 d 24 h dietary recall surveys）. A Monte Carlo simulation was used to estimate the dietary Cr intake levels and the associated health risks.ResultsThe average concentration of Cr in all foods in Chongqing ranged from 0.013 9 to 0.126 3 mg/kg， with a total detection rate of 40.6%. The average Cr concentration was highest in aquatic products， followed by foods for special dietary use， leafy vegetables， and rice. The average daily dietary Cr exposure range of Chongqing residents was 0.683-2.117 μg/kg body weight （BW）， and the dietary Cr exposure level （P95） of the high-food-consumption population was 1.165-3.597 μg/kg BW. The average daily level of Cr exposure decreased with increasing age. The average daily exposure to Cr was highest for people aged 1-6 years and lowest for people aged >60 years. The average exposure to Cr was higher in urban areas than in rural areas， and females had higher exposure levels than males. Cereals and their products had the highest contribution to the total dietary Cr exposure of Chongqing residents， reaching 39.31%-49.13%. The mean and maximum levels of exposure （P95） to chromium were less than one of the tolerable daily intake in all age， sex， and regional groups.ConclusionThe health risk of dietary Cr exposure among Chongqing residents was low. The three main sources of dietary Cr were cereals and their products， vegetables， and meat.

Keywords

• chromium
• dietary exposure
• risk assessment
• monte carlo model