French infant total diet study: Exposure to selected trace elements and associated health risks

A total diet study (TDS) was conducted between 2010 and 2016 to assess the risk associated with chemicals in food of non-breast-fed children under three living in France. 291 composite food samples were prepared “as consumed” and analyzed for 16 trace elements: aluminium (Al), antimony (Sb), arsenic (As), barium (Ba), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), gallium (Ga), germanium (Ge), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni), silver (Ag), strontium (Sr), tellurium (Te), tin (Sn), vanadium (V). Dietary exposure was assessed for 705 representative children using food consumptions recorded through a 3-consecutive-days record. For inorganic mercury, chromium III, and antimony, the exposure levels were lower than the health-based guidance values and the risk was considered tolerable. Conversely, the exposure levels to inorganic arsenic, lead and nickel were higher than the health-based guidance values for a part of children and were considered as a concern, requiring management measures to reduce the exposure. For aluminium, methylmercury, strontium, chromium VI, cobalt, and barium, a risk could not be ruled out because of uncertainty sources. As a precautionary measure, reducing the exposure is recommended. For chemicals without robust health-based guidance value (organic arsenic, gallium, germanium, silver, tin, tellurium and vanadium), additional data are needed for risk assessment.