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[ZD15] Dietary intake of certain metals
Impacts

Key message
Neutral

The estimated average long-term intakes of metals (lead, cadmium and mercury) into the human body through food in the adult population of Slovenia do not exceed the reference points (BMDL) or health-based guideline values (tolerable daily/weekly intakes), and in children lead and cadmium on average, similarly to the EU, may be exceeded. It is necessary to constantly raise awareness of the population for a healthy nutrition, including the implementation of measures to reduce the intake of toxic metals, especially in children and pregnant women, both from food and other environmental sources and to continue official control/monitoring of metals in food on the Slovenian market.

Charts

Figure ZD15-1: Mean lead (Pb) concentrations in food from Slovenian market 2011-2016 (Kirinčič et al., 2019) and comparison with mean EU values (EFSA, 2012a)
Sources:

Reports on the implementation of individual tasks related to official control performed by the competent authorities (from 2013 onwards The Administration for Food Safety, Veterinary Sector and Plant Protection of the Republic of Slovenia - UVHVVR) for the period 2011 - 2016; Kirinčič et al., 2019. (3. 09. 2020)

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Food categories Unit Grains and products Vegetables and products Starchy roots and tubers Legumes, nuts, oilseeds Fruit and fruit products Meat and edible offal Fish and seafood Milk and dairy products Eggs and products Sugar and confectionary Fats and oils Fruit and vegetable juices Non-alcoholic beverages Alcoholic beverages Drinking water Herbs, spices and condiments Food for children Special nutritional products  Composite food Snacks, desserts, other foods
Slovenia mg/kg 0,022 0,028 0,012 0,018 0,014 0,052 0,040 0,002   0,038 0,010 0,018   0,013 0,001 0,022 0,014 0,383    
EU mg/kg 0,029 0,061 0,019 0,034 0,015 0,096 0,058 0,010 0,012 0,038 0,020 0,010 0,013 0,021 0,006 0,224 0,012 0,701 0,036 0,026
Figure ZD15-2: Mean cadmium (Cd) concentrations in food from Slovenian market 2011-2016 (Kirinčič et al., 2019) and comparison with mean EU values (EFSA, 2012b)
Sources:

Reports on the implementation of individual tasks related to official control performed by the competent authorities (from 2013 onwards The Administration for Food Safety, Veterinary Sector and Plant Protection of the Republic of Slovenia - UVHVVR) for the period 2011 - 2016; Kirinčič et al., 2019. (3. 09. 2020)

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Food categories Unit Grains and products Vegetables and products Starchy roots and tubers Legumes, nuts, oilseeds Fruit and fruit products Meat and edible offal Fish and seafood Milk and dairy products Eggs and products Sugar and confectionary Fats and oils Fruit and vegetable juices Non-alcoholic beverages Alcoholic beverages Drinking water Herbs, spices and condiments Food for children Special nutritional products  Composite food Snacks, desserts, other foods
Slovenia mg/kg 0,038 0,025 0,037 0,046 0,006 0,087 0,117 0,001   0,042         0,00007 0,018 0,012 0,056    
EU mg/kg 0,027 0,051 0,020 0,192 0,004 0,137 0,105 0,006 0,003 0,030 0,005 0,004 0,002 0,001 0,00021 0,050 0,008 0,075 0,031 0,017
Figure ZD15-3: Estimation of overall chronic dietary exposure of average consumer in Slovenia to lead (Pb) (Kirinčič et al., 2019) in comparison with EU means (EFSA, 2012a) according to the health-based guidance values (BMDLs) for different effects
Sources:

Reports on the implementation of individual tasks related to official control performed by the competent authorities (from 2013 onwards The Administration for Food Safety, Veterinary Sector and Plant Protection of the Republic of Slovenia - UVHVVR) for the period 2011 ? 2016; Kirinčič et al., 2019. (3. 09. 2020)

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Age group Unit TODDLERS ADULTS
Slovenia μg/kg bw/day 0,896 0,448
EU μg/kg bw/day 1,03 0,50
BMDL01 - developmental neorotoxicity in young children μg/kg bw/day 0,50 0,50
BMDL10 - nephrotoxicity in adults μg/kg bw/day 0,63 0,63
BMDL01 - cardiovascular effects in adults μg/kg bw/day 1,50 1,50
Figure ZD15-4: Estimation of overall chronic dietary exposure of average consumer in Slovenia to cadmium (Cd) (Kirinčič et al., 2019) in comparison with EU means (EFSA, 2012b) and according to the Tolerable Weekly Intake - TWI
Sources:

Reports on the implementation of individual tasks related to official control performed by the competent authorities (from 2013 onwards The Administration for Food Safety, Veterinary Sector and Plant Protection of the Republic of Slovenia - UVHVVR) for the period 2011 ? 2016; Kirinčič et al., 2019. (3. 09. 2020)

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Age group Unit TODDLERS ADULTS
Slovenia μg/kg bw/week 4,65 2,27
EU μg/kg bw/week 3,96 1,70
TWI  - kidney effects μg/kg bw/week 2,50 2,50
Figure ZD15-5: Relative contribution of broad food categories to overall mean dietary exposure to lead (Pb) (5 the highest) (Kirinčič et al., 2019)
Sources:

Reports on the implementation of individual tasks related to official control performed by the competent authorities (from 2013 onwards The Administration for Food Safety, Veterinary Sector and Plant Protection of the Republic of Slovenia - UVHVVR) for the period 2011 - 2016; Kirinčič et al., 2019. (3. 09. 2020)

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Food categories Unit CHILDREN ADULTS
Grains and products % 26,41 20,95
Vegetables and products % 10,42 10,25
Fruit and fruit products % 0,00 7,14
Milk and dairy products % 11,71 0,00
Fruit and vegetable juices % 8,80 0,00
Non-alcoholic beverages % 6,37 13,82
Composite food % 0,00 10,05
Other % 36,28 37,78
Figure ZD15-6: Relative contribution of broad food categories to overall mean dietary exposure to cadmium (Cd) (5 the highest) (Kirinčič et al., 2019)
Sources:

Reports on the implementation of individual tasks related to official control performed by the competent authorities (from 2013 onwards The Administration for Food Safety, Veterinary Sector and Plant Protection of the Republic of Slovenia - UVHVVR) for the period 2011 - 2016; Kirinčič et al., 2019. (3. 09. 2020)

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Food categories Unit CHILDREN ADULTS
Grains and products % 29,11 22,87
Vegetables and products % 11,50 11,99
Starchy roots and tubers % 9,39 10,28
Fish and seafood % 9,98 13,24
Milk and dairy products % 9,47 0,00
Composite food % 0,00 9,67
Other % 30,53 31,95
Figure ZD15-7: Median mercury (Hg) concentrations in food from Slovenian market (official control 2011-2018) and comparison with EU values (EFSA, 2012c)
Sources:

Reports on the implementation of individual tasks related to official control performed by the competent authorities (from 2013 onwards The Administration for Food Safety, Veterinary Sector and Plant Protection of the Republic of Slovenia - UVHVVR) for the period 2011 - 2018; EFSA, 2012c. (3. 09. 2020)

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Food categories Unit Slovenia EU
Fish (meat) µg/kg 60 53
Processed or canned fish µg/kg 46 22
Figure ZD15-8: Estimation of overall chronic dietary exposure of average consumer in Slovenia to mercury (Hg) due to consumption of fish and fish products (official control 2011-2018 and EFSA, 2020) in comparison with EU values (EFSA, 2012a) and tolerable weekly intake for Hg (TWI)
Sources:

Reports on the implementation of individual tasks related to official control performed by the competent authorities (from 2013 onwards The Administration for Food Safety, Veterinary Sector and Plant Protection of the Republic of Slovenia - UVHVVR) for the period 2011 ? 2018; EFSA, 2012c. (3. 09. 2020)

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Age group Unit TODDLERS ADULTS
Slovenia μg/kg bw/week 0,19 0,27
EU μg/kg bw/week 0,07 0,24
TWI  - developmental neurotoxicity  μg/kg bw/week 1,3 1,3

Methodology

Date of data source summarization
Last modified
27.10.2020
Author(s)

dr. Stanislava Kirinčič, univ. dipl. inž. živil. tehnol. and dr. Urška Blaznik, univ. dipl. kem., National Institute of Public Health