Concentration of Essential, Toxic, and Rare Earth Elements in Ready-to-Eat Baby Purees from the Spanish Market

Human Exposure through the Diet to Arsenic and Other Toxic Elements: A Literature Review of Scientific Studies Conducted in Catalonia, Spain, in the Current Century

Human exposure to arsenic and other toxic elements such as cadmium, lead and mercury may lead to a wide range of adverse health effects. In relation to this, it is well established that the diet is the main route of exposure to both essential and toxic trace elements. In recent years, the levels of toxic elements in foodstuffs have been measured in numerous studies conducted all over the world. Scientific databases show that, in the current century, China and Spain have been the countries where the most surveys on this topic have been carried out. Regarding Spain, Catalonia is the region where most studies aimed at determining the concentrations of trace elements in food have been performed. The objective of this paper was to review the studies carried out in Catalonia on the concentrations of As and toxic metals (including Cd, Hg and Pb) in food, as well as their estimated dietary intakes (EDIs). The results of total diet studies (TDSs) and duplicate diet (DD) studies have been included. For most toxic elements, a continued reduction in the EDI has been observed. This reduction is associated with a decrease in their concentrations in food, and with certain changes in dietary habits. Fish and seafood is the food group showing the highest content of toxic elements. However, none of the adult groups exceeded-in general-the safety thresholds for As, Cd, Hg and Pb established by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA).

Levels of Rare Earth Elements in Food and Human Dietary Exposure: A Review

Rare earth elements (REEs) are a group consisting of the following 17 metals: Ce, Dy, Er, Eu, Gd, Ho, La, Lu, Nd, Pr, Pm, Sc, Sm, Tb, Tm, Y and Yb. In the current century, the number of applications of REEs has significantly increased. They are being used as components in high technology devices of great importance industrial/economic. However, information on the risk of human exposure to REEs, as well as the potential toxic effects of these elements is still limited. In general terms, dietary intake is the main route of exposure to metals for non-occupationally exposed individuals, which should be also expected for REEs. The current paper aimed at reviewing the studies -conducted over the world- that focused on determining the levels of REEs in foods, as well as the dietary intake of these elements. Most studies do not suggest potential health risk for consumers of freshwater and marine species of higher consumption, or derived from the intake of a number of vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, as well as other various foodstuffs (honey, tea, rice, etc.). The current estimated daily intake (EDI) of REEs does not seem to be of concern. However, considering the expected wide use of these elements in the next years, it seems to be clearly recommendable to assess periodically the potential health risk of the dietary exposure to REEs. This is already being done with well-known toxic elements such as As, Cd, Pb and Hg, among other potentially toxic metals.

Practical guidelines for representing and interpreting rare earth abundances in environmental and biological studies

This paper summarizes the main guidelines for representing rare earth element (REE) abundance patterns, along with a review of the common mistakes or omissions that can alter REE plots and bias interpretations. It is specifically designed for ecotoxicologists and biologists, for whom the study of these elements has become an important field of research in recent years. Prior to applying REE diagrams to the study of living organisms, it is important to understand the rationale that led geochemists and cosmochemists to develop them. Used with the practical recommendations described here, these diagrams have the capacity to highlight fundamental processes taking place in the biosphere.