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High exposure to inorganic arsenic by food: the need for risk reduction

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Abstract

Arsenic is a human carcinogen that occurs ubiquitously in soil and water. Based on epidemiological studies, a benchmark dose (lower/higher bound estimate) between 0.3 and 8 μg/kg bw/day was estimated to cause a 1 % increased risk of lung, skin and bladder cancer. A recently published study by EFSA on dietary exposure to inorganic arsenic in the European population reported 95th percentiles (lower bound min to upper bound max) for different age groups in the same range as the benchmark dose. For toddlers, a highly exposed group, the highest values ranged between 0.61 and 2.09 µg arsenic/kg bw/day. For all other age classes, the margin of exposure is also small. This scenario calls for regulatory action to reduce arsenic exposure. One priority measure should be to reduce arsenic in food categories that contribute most to exposure. In the EFSA study the food categories ‘milk and dairy products,’ ‘drinking water’ and ‘food for infants’ represent major sources of inorganic arsenic for infants and also rice is an important source. Long-term strategies are required to reduce inorganic arsenic in these food groups. The reduced consumption of rice and rice products which has been recommended may be helpful for a minority of individuals consuming unusually high amounts of rice. However, it is only of limited value for the general European population, because the food categories ‘grain-based processed products (non rice-based)’ or ‘milk and dairy products’ contribute more to the exposure with inorganic arsenic than the food category ‘rice.’ A balanced regulatory activity focusing on the most relevant food categories is required. In conclusion, exposure to inorganic arsenic represents a risk to the health of the European population, particularly to young children. Regulatory measures to reduce exposure are urgently required.

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Notes

  1. The Advisory Committee of the German Society of Toxicology is elected by the members of the German Society of Toxicology and consists of representatives from academia, industry and administration in order to guarantee a broad range of toxicological competence. The Advisory Committee presents and justifies its activities to the members of the German Society of Toxicology, for example at the yearly plenary meeting. The German Society of Toxicology is the largest scientific toxicological organization in Europe, with more than 1200 members. In the past 10 years, the Advisory Committee has already published review articles about nanotoxicology (Gebel et al. 2014), bisphenol A (Hengstler et al. 2011), alternative methods to animal experiments (Lilienblum et al. 2008) and REACH (Hengstler et al. 2006). Commentaries to arsenic have not yet been published by the Advisory Board.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Charité, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Ursula Gundert-Remy

  2. Department for General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, Campus Virchow Clinic, Charité, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Georg Damm

  3. Institute of Environmental Toxicology, University of Halle, Halle/Saale, Germany

    Heidi Foth

  4. Global Early Development - Toxicology, Bayer Pharma AG, Wuppertal, Germany

    Alexius Freyberger

  5. Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Dortmund, Germany

    Thomas Gebel

  6. Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human, Factors (IfADo), University of Dortmund, Dortmund, Germany

    Klaus Golka & Jan Georg Hengstler

  7. Institute for Toxicology und Pharmacology, Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Kiel, Germany

    Claudia Röhl

  8. University of Applied Science, Muenster, Steinfurt, Germany

    Thomas Schupp

  9. Lower Saxony Governmental Institute of Public Health, Hannover, Germany

    Klaus-Michael Wollin

Authors
  1. Ursula Gundert-Remy
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  2. Georg Damm
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  3. Heidi Foth
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  4. Alexius Freyberger
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  5. Thomas Gebel
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  6. Klaus Golka
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  7. Claudia Röhl
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  8. Thomas Schupp
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  9. Klaus-Michael Wollin
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  10. Jan Georg Hengstler
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Correspondence to Ursula Gundert-Remy or Jan Georg Hengstler.

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Conflict of interest

Jan Georg Hengstler is co-author of editorials about arsenic poisoning by contaminated drinking water (Golka et al. 2010) and arsenic-induced suicidal erythrocyte death (Bolt and Hengstler 2011). Klaus Golka is author of the aforementioned editorial and co-author of the following basic research articles and one book chapter on arsenic in Chinese coals in Southwest Guizhou and in Northwest China and its impact on health of the local population: Golka et al. (2010), Lin et al. (2006, 2007, 2010a, b, 2012), Chen et al. (2007, 2009) and Shen et al. (2010). Tom Gebel has spent several years of scientific research on the toxicology of arsenic. In this context, several papers were published as author and as co-author. Part of this work has been financed by European Union research grants. All other authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Gundert-Remy, U., Damm, G., Foth, H. et al. High exposure to inorganic arsenic by food: the need for risk reduction. Arch Toxicol 89, 2219–2227 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-015-1627-1

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