Determination and safety evaluation of dietary lead intake among college students

ObjectiveTo assess the lead pollution and safety in diet among college students in Jinzhou city and to provide scientific basis for diet safety. MethodsThe duplicate food portions of 489 students were collected over 3 consecutive days.The contents of lead in duplicate samples were determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectro metry (GFAAS) after wet digestion.The intake level of lead in diet was calculated and evaluated by comparing to provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI) recommended by World Health Organization/Food and Agriculture Organization (WHO/FAO) and the safety of diet lead intakes of the students was assessed. ResultsThe contents of lead in egg products,vegetables,and aquatic product were 0.321,0.116,and 0.097 mg/kg,respectively.The main sources of lead were from vegetables,egg products,and grain,with the percentages of daily lead intake of 39.12%,17.58%,and 16.29%,respectively.The average intake,median intake and 97.5 percentile were lower than PTWI,but percentile 97.5 extremum was 1.39 times of PTWI. ConclusionThe intake of lead in diet of the college students was at safe level,but there were individuals with high level of lead intake and the intake of food with high content of lead should be reduced.