Monitoring and risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in processed foods and their raw materials

The concentrations of eight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in various processed foods and their raw materials in Korea were investigated. The samples were initially divided into ten major food groups: cereals, nuts, fruit, meat, fish and shellfish, beverage, seasoning, pulse crops, vegetables and eggs. Among those samples, PAHs were detected in 20 food items of 7 major food groups: cereals, nuts, fruit, meat, fish, beverages and seasoning. The detected concentrations of the eight PAHs was in the range 0.08-11.97 μg/kg. Regarding risk assessment, the chronic daily intake of PAHs ranged from 1.08 × 10−9 to 2.93 × 10−5 in the total population and 1.74 × 10−7 to 2.94 × 10−3 in the intake group. Also, the margins of exposure were 1.20 × 107 in the total population and 5.64 × 105 in the intake group, with incremental lifetime cancer risks of 2.03 × 10−8 and 6.35 × 10−6, respectively.