Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Trace elements, 210Po and 210Pb in a selection of berries on commercial sale in Italy

  • Published:
Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The occurrence of 210Pb, 210Po, trace elements was assessed in a selection of berries on commercial sale in Italy. Data confirmed that berries might serve as an important source of essential elements. The 210Pb, 210Po concentrations found were higher than the reference values reported by UNSCEAR for roots and fruits in the world. There is no risk whatsoever from the intake of toxic elements as Al, As, Cd, Pb, Ni, Hg in berriberries analyzed; it is necessary, however, continuously monitored the levels of these elements to protect consumers against potential adverse health effects especially when consumed in large quantities.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Vaaramaa K, Solatie D, Aro L (2009) Distribution of 210Pb and 210Po concentrations in wild berries and mushrooms in boreal forest ecosystem. Sci Total Environ 408:84–91

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Parfenov Y (1974) Polonium-210 in the environment and in the human organism. At Energy Rev 12:75–143

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Brown JE, Gjelsvik R, Ross P, Kalas JA, Outola I, Holm E (2011) Levels and transfer of 210Po and 210Pb in Nordic terrestrial ecosystem. J Environ Radiat 102:430–437

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Persson B, Holm E (2011) Polonium-210 and lead-210 in the terrestrial environment, a historical review. J Environ Radioact 102:420–429

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) (1988) Sources and effects of ionizing radiation. Report to the General Assembly, with Annexes

  6. ATSDR. US department of health and human services, Agency for toxic substances and disease registry, Toxicological profile for lead. Draft for Public Comment, May 2019 

  7. De Almeida Lopes AC, Navas-Acien A, Zamoiski R, Silbergeld EK, Carvalho M, Buzzo ML, Ragassi Urbano M, da Cunha Martins A, Bastos Paoliello MM (2015) Risk factors for lead exposure in adult population in Southern Brazil. J Toxicol Environ Health A 78:92–108

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Rodushkin I, Odman F, Holmstrom H (1999) Multi-element analysis of wild berries from northern Sweden by ICP techniques. Sci Total Environ 231:53–65

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Meli MA, Desideri D, Roselli C, Benedetti C, Feduzi L (2015) Essential and toxic elements in honeys from a region of Central Italy. J Toxicol Environ Health A 78:617–627

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Desideri D, Cantaluppi C, Ceccotto F, Meli MA, Roselli C, Feduzi L (2016) Essential and toxic elements in seaweeds for human consumption. J Toxicol Environ Health A 79:112–122

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. WHO Fruit and Vegetable Promotion Initiative – report of the meeting, Geneva, 25–27 August 2003

  12. De Quadros APO, Mazzeo DEC, Marin-Morales MA, Perazzo FF, Rosa PCP, Maistro EL (2017) Fruit extract of the medicinal plant Crataegus oxyacanthaexerts genotoxic and mutagenic effects in cultured cells. J Toxicol Environ Health A 80:161–170

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Seeram NP (2010) Recent trends and advances in berry health benefits research. J Agric Food Chem 58:3869–3870

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Mazzoni L, Perez-Lopez P, Giampieri F, Alvarez-Suarez JM, Gasparrini M, Forbes-Hernandez TY, Quiles JL, Mezzetti B, Battino M (2016) The genetic aspects of berries: from field to health. J Sci Food Agric 96(2):365–371

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Skrovankova S, Sumczynski D, Mlcek J, Jurikova T, Sochor J (2015) Bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity in different types of berries. Int J Mol Sci 16(10):24673–24706

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  16. Vendrame S, Del Bo C, Ciappellano S, Riso P, Klimis-Zacas D (2016) Berry fruit consumption and metabolic syndrome. Antioxidants 5:34–55

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  17. Girgenti V, Massaglia S, Mosso A, Peano C, Brun F (2016) Exploring perception of raspberry and blueberries by Italian consumers. Sustainability 8:1027–1043

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Gwynn JP, Nalbandyan A, Rudolfsen G (2013) 210Po, 210Pb, 40K and 137Cs in edible wild berries and mushrooms and ingestion doses to man from high consumption rates of these wild foods. J Environ Radiat 116:34–41

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. McDonald P, Jackson D, Leonard DRP, McKay K (1999) An assessment of 210Pb and 210Po terrestrial foodstuffs from regions of potential technological enhancement in England and Wales. J Environ Radioact 43:15–29

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Ryan B, Martin P, Iles M (2005) Uranium series radionuclides in native fruits and vegetables of northern Australia. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 264(2):407–412

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Solatie D, Junttila M, Vesterbacka P (2006) 210Po and 210Pb in the food chain lichen-reinder-human. Radiochemistry 48(6):632–633

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) (1996) Method 3050B: acid digestion of sediments, sludges and soils. Revision 2, December 1996

  23. Meli MA, Fagiolino I, Desideri D, Roselli M (2018) Essential and toxic elements in honeys consumed in Italy. J Toxicol Environ Health A 81:1123

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) (2014) Method 6020B (SW-846): inductively coupled-mass spectrometry, Revision 2

  25. United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) (2014) Method 6010D (SW-846): inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry, Revision 4

  26. United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) (1994) Method 7470A (SW-846): mercury in liquid waste (Manual Cold-Vapor Technique), Revision 1

  27. Desideri D, Roselli C, Fagiolino I, Meli MA (2018) Toxic elements in human saliva of smokeless tobacco users. J Anal Toxicol 42:417–424

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Meli MA, Desideri D, Cantaluppi C, Ceccotto F, Feduzi L, Roselli C (2018) Elemental and radiological characterization of commercial Cetraria islandica (L.) Acharius pharmaceutical and food supplementation products. Sci Total Environ 613–614:1566–1572

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA (1996) International Basic Safety Standards for Protection against Ionizing radiation and for the Safety of Radiation Sources, safety Series No. 115, IAEA, Vienna

  30. European of Safety Authority (EFSA) (2006) Scientific committee on food scientific panel on dietetic products, nutrition and allergies. Tolerable upper intake levels for vitamins and minerals, February 2006

  31. JEFCA (2006) Summary and conclusions of the sixty-seventh meeting of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, Rome, 20–29 June 2006

  32. WHO (2011) Evaluation of Certain food additives and contaminants. Seventy-second report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, WHO Technical Report Series No. 959 Geneva, Switzerland

  33. WHO (2011) Evaluation of certain food additives and contaminants. Seventy-third Report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, Geneva 2010. WHO Technical Report Series No. 960 Geneva, Switzerland

  34. Meli MA, Desideri D, Roselli C, Feduzi L (2014) Assessment of 210Po in Italian diet. Food Chem 155:87–90

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Green N, Hammod DJ, Davidson MF, Wilkins BT, Williams B (2002) The radiological impact of naturally occurring radionuclides in foods from the wild. NRPB-W30. National Radiological Protection Board, Didcot

  36. Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca per gli Alimenti e la Nutrizione ( INRAN) (2013). Carnovale E and Marletta L, Banca Dati di Composizione degli Alimenti

  37. Varo P, Lahelma O, Nuurtamo M, Saari E, Koiviststoinen P (1980) Mineral element composition of Finnish foods. Potato, vegetables, fruits, berries, nuts and mushrooms. Acta Agric Scand 22:89–113

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Barcan VSH, Kovnatsky EF, Smetannikova MS (1998) Absorption of heavy metals in wild berries and edible mushrooms in an area affected by smelter emissions. Water Air Soil Pollut 103(1-4):173–195

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. Moilanen M, Fritze H, Nieminen M, Piirainen S, Issakainen J, Piispanen J (2006) Does wood ash application increase heavy metal accumulation in forest berries and mushrooms? For Ecol Manag 226:153–160

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Euromonitor International (2017) Global consumer trends survey. London 2017

  41. United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, Ionizing (UNSCEAR) (2000). Sources and effects of ionizing radiation., New York. Report to the General Assembly with Annex, 2000

  42. United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) (2008) Sources and effects of ionizing radiation. New York: United Nations (published 2010)

  43. European Commission (EC) (2006) Commission Regulation No 1881/2006 of 19 December 2006 setting maximum levels for certain contaminants in foodstuffs

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to express their deep gratitude to Dr. Marco Rocchi for his contribute to statistical analysis.

Funding

Funding was provided by Università degli Studi di Urbino Carlo Bo (Grant No. 103),

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Urbino University “Carlo Bo”, P.zza Rinascimento 6, 61029, Urbino, Italy

    Maria Assunta Meli, Donatella Desideri & Carla Roselli

  2. GRUPPO C.S.A. S.p.A, Via Al Torrente, 22, 47923, Rimini, Italy

    Ivan Fagiolino

Authors
  1. Maria Assunta Meli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Donatella Desideri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ivan Fagiolino
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Carla Roselli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Donatella Desideri.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Meli, M.A., Desideri, D., Fagiolino, I. et al. Trace elements, 210Po and 210Pb in a selection of berries on commercial sale in Italy. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 321, 647–657 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-019-06604-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-019-06604-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation