Dietary exposure and health risk assessment for 14 toxic and essential trace elements in Yaoundé: the Cameroonian total diet study

Abstract

Dietary exposure to trace elements (aluminium, antimony, barium, cadmium, lead, nickel, vanadium, copper, manganese, molybdenum, germanium, lithium, strontium and tellurium) was assessed by the total diet study (TDS) method. Sixty-four pooled samples representing 96.5% of the diet in Yaoundé, Cameroon, were prepared “as consumed” before analysis. Consumption data were sourced from a households’ budget survey. Dietary exposures were compared with health-based guidance or nutritional values and to worldwide TDS results. The health-based guidance value was exceeded by ≤ 0.2% of the study population for aluminium, antimony, barium, cadmium, nickel and vanadium. For lead, the observed 95th percentile of exposure (3.05 µg kg⁻¹ body weight day⁻¹) equals the critical value considered by JECFA for cardiovascular effects; therefore, risk to health cannot be excluded for certain consumer groups. The population at risk of excess intake for manganese, copper, molybdenum and nickel was considered to be low (≤ 0.3%). The prevalence of inadequate intake was estimated at 5.9% for copper and was nil for molybdenum. Due to the lack of toxicological and/or nutritional consistent data to perform a risk assessment, dietary exposures to germanium, lithium, strontium and tellurium were provided as supplementary data. The food groups highest contributors to exposure were “tubers and starches” for aluminium (27%), lead (39%) and copper (26%), “cereals and cereal products” for cadmium (54%) and manganese (35%), “fruits, vegetables and oilseeds” for barium (34%), molybdenum (49%) and nickel (31%), “beverages” for antimony (27%) and “fish” for vanadium (43% – lower bound). Measures should be recommended to maintain low levels of exposure before the problem could become an important health or trade issue.

Keywords:

• toxic trace elements
• toxic and/or potential trace elements
• essential trace elements
• dietary exposure
• dietary intake
• risk characterisation
• total diet study
• Cameroon

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Professor Dominique Baubon, Dr Guy Vernet, the staff of the Hygiene and Environment Laboratory (Centre Pasteur of Cameroon) and the staff of the CAUPA (Coalition pour la promotion de l’Agriculture Urbaine et Périurbaine en Afrique). The authors have no conflicts of interest.

Funding

The FAO (Nutrition and Consumer Protection Division) funded this study in 2009 [grant number NU 12/15 CMR-FAO°].

Supplemental data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19440049.2014.909953