The first harmonised total diet study in Portugal: Arsenic, cadmium and lead exposure assessment

The aim of this study was to estimate the 18–74 years old Portuguese population's baseline exposure to inorganic arsenic, cadmium and lead and the risk of exceeding the respective Health Based Guidance Value, using a harmonised Total Diet Study (TDS) methodology. TDS food samples representative of the whole diet were prepared as consumed and analysed for total arsenic, cadmium and lead. European Food Safety Authority's conservative approach was used to estimate inorganic arsenic. Exposure was assessed using the Monte Carlo Risk Assessment software. At upper bound approach, the mean baseline exposure was estimated at 0.28 and 0.35 μg kg⁻¹ body weight day⁻¹ for inorganic arsenic and lead, respectively, and 1.36 μg kg⁻¹ body weight week⁻¹ for cadmium. Margins of exposure of below or close to one were found for inorganic arsenic and lead, whereas 5.4 % of individuals exceeded the Tolerable Weekly Intake for cadmium. These results indicate that adverse health effects cannot be ruled out. Bread was the common main contributor for the exposure to all three elements.