Dietary intake of barium, bismuth, chromium, lithium, and strontium in a Spanish population (Canary Islands, Spain)

• Published in: Food and chemical toxicology 2013-12, Vol.62, p.856-868
• Main Authors: González-Weller, Dailos, Rubio, Carmen, Gutiérrez, Ángel José, González, Gara Luis, Mesa, José María Caballero, Gironés, Consuelo Revert, Ojeda, Antonio Burgos, Hardisson, Arturo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Barium - administration & dosage; Barium - analysis; Biological and medical sciences; Bismuth - administration & dosage; Bismuth - analysis; Canary Islands; Chemical and industrial products toxicology. Toxic occupational diseases; Chromium - administration & dosage; Chromium - analysis; Dietary intake; Food Analysis; Food Contamination; GFAAS; Humans; ICP-OES; Lithium - administration & dosage; Lithium - analysis; Medical sciences; Metals; Metals and various inorganic compounds; Spain; Spanish population; Strontium - administration & dosage; Strontium - analysis; Toxicology
• ISSN: 0278-6915; 1873-6351
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2013.10.026

•Analysis of barium, bismuth, lithium, and strontium was performed by ICP-OES.•Chromium contents were analyzed by GFAAS.•Cereals turned out to contribute most to the dietary intake of Ba, Bi, Cr and Li.•Fruit contributes most to the strontium dietary intake. The aim of this study was to analyze barium, bismuth, chromium, lithium, and strontium contents in food and beverages consumed by the population of the Canary Islands (Spain) as well as determine dietary intake of these metals in the archipelago as a whole and in its individual islands. To this end, 440 samples were analyzed by ICP-OES and GFAAS. Barium concentrations ranged from 5.210±2.117mg/kg in nuts to 0.035±0.043mg/L in water. Viscera exhibited the highest levels of bismuth (38.07±36.80mg/kg). The cold meat and sausages group stood out for its high chromium concentrations (0.494±0.257mg/kg). The highest concentration of lithium and strontium came out in nuts (8.761±5.368mg/kg and 9.759±5.181mg/kg, respectively). The total intakes of barium, bismuth, chromium, lithium, and strontium were 0.685, 1.274, 0.087, 3.674, and 1.923mg/day, respectively. Cereals turned out to contribute most to the dietary intake of barium, bismuth, chromium, and lithium in the Canary Islands, while fruit contributes most to the strontium intake. We also performed a metal intake study by age and sex of the population and compared the outcome with data from other regions, both national and international.