Abstract
This study aims to quantify the amount of selenium (Se) generally consumed in the Chinese diet via Se-enriched eggs, as well as the levels of lead (Pb), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), and mercury (Hg) in such eggs, and to assess the health risks associated with their consumption in China. As would be expected, Se was found to present significantly higher geometric mean levels in the Se-enriched eggs (0.464 mg/kg) than in normal eggs (0.304 mg/kg); however, Se concentrations were also closely related to the Cr and Pb in the eggs, with the Pb levels found to exceed the Chinese standard limit. Therefore, the quantity of Pb in Se-enriched eggs requires attention. According to estimated daily intake (EDI) evaluations of Se and heavy metals, levels were found to be highest via children for all metals in the eggs, In adults, the total target hazard quotient (TTHQ) for Se, Pb, Cd, As, Hg, and Cr contamination in eggs were calculated to be below the standard limit of 1, thus confirming that Se-enriched eggs may be considered safe for consumption by adults. However, the THQ of as was higher than 1 in the children aged of 2–4 years, and the TTHQ values were higher than 1 in boys aged 2–9 and girls aged 2–8, indicating a significant non-carcinogenic health risk due to the intake of maximum metals in the eggs samples. Thus, the safety of selenium-enriched eggs for children should be of wide concern. In conclusion, while Se-enriched eggs offer high levels of selenium, their health safety is concerning.
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The datasets used or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding authors on reasonable request.
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This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31801605); National Agricultural Products Quality and Safety Risk Assessment of Major Projects (GJFP2019042).
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All the authors contributed significantly to the research article. Xin Zhao made substantive contributions to the experimental processing and data interpreting and wrote the paper; Kehong Liang planned the study and finalized the final draft of manuscript; Hong Zhu and Jing Wang performed part of the experiments, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Zhao, X., Liang, K., Zhu, H. et al. Health risk assessment of heavy metals contamination in selenium-enriched eggs. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 27047–27055 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-12547-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-12547-z