Risk assessment of dietary lead exposure in Shanghai residents over 15 years old

Objective To investigate the risk of dietary lead exposure in residents aged 15 years and above in Shanghai.

Methods Based on the dietary consumption survey of residents aged 15 years and above in spring 2012 and the monitoring data of food lead contamination in Shanghai from 2020 to 2021， the dietary exposure level was assessed using the point assessment method and compared with the provisional weekly tolerable intake （PTWI） to assess the exposure risk.

Results The overall detection rate of lead in 9 commonly consumed food categories by residents in Shanghai was 56.82%， with a total excess rate of 0.23%. The average weekly dietary lead exposure （by body weight） of residents was 2.979 4 μg·kg⁻¹. The top three dietary lead contributing factors were vegetables （30.69%）， cereals （28.88%）， and aquatic products （11.12%）. The average weekly dietary lead exposure （by body weight） of residents in urban， suburban， and rural areas were 3.282 5， 2.979 5 and 2.478 0 μg·kg⁻¹， respectively. The food with the highest contribution rate of dietary lead exposure in these regions was vegetables， with contribution rates of 33.65%， 29.69%， and 25.22%， respectively. The average weekly dietary lead exposure （by body weight） of male and female residents was 3.077 7 and 2.881 5 μg·kg⁻¹， respectively， with vegetables being the main source of dietary lead， contributing 30.03% and 31.39%， respectively. The average weekly dietary lead exposure （by body weight） of residents aged 15‒， 45‒， and ≥60 years old was 3.084 2， 3.009 9 and 2.874 4 μg·kg⁻¹， respectively. The food with the highest contribution rate of dietary lead exposure in these groups was vegetables， contributing 27.12%， 32.10%， and 32.26%， respectively.

Conclusion The dietary lead exposure of Shanghai residents aged 15 years and above is at an acceptable level， and the vegetables， cereals， and aquatic products with high contribution rates need to be supervised more closely.