Dietary intake of arsenic, cadmium, mercury and lead by the population of Catalonia, Spain: Analysis of the temporal trend

In 2017, a monitoring study was conducted in Catalonia (Spain) to analyse, in widely consumed foodstuffs, the concentrations of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg) and lead (Pb), as well as those of inorganic As (InAs) and methylmercury (MeHg). Health risks were estimated for various population groups, classified according to age. A continued reduction of dietary exposure to these elements was observed when comparing the results from the current and previous studies performed during the last 17 years. This reduction would be associated to a decrease of As, Cd, Hg and Pb concentrations in food, as well as by changes in dietary habits. None of the adult groups exceeded the safety threshold established by the EFSA, but toddlers, infants and children exceeded the PTWI for Cd and MeHg. The greatest intake of Cd and MeHg corresponded to infants, being due to the consumption of cuttlefish and hake. The consumption of these species should be reduced to two or three weekly portions, being combined with the intake of other non-predator species. Anyhow, the current results indicate that is necessary to conduct further periodical surveys, paying special attention to the trend in the intake of Cd and MeHg.