The Concentrations and Health Risk Assessment of Rare Earth Elements in Tea in China

Abstract Background Rare earth element (REE) have been considered to have potential effects on human health. However, little is known about the health risk of REEs exposure among tea drinkers in China. Objectives To characterize the concentration of REEs in different categories of tea and assess the health risk of REEs of tea consumers in China. Methods 4326 tea samples(including oolong tea, dark tea, black tea, white tea, green tea and flowering tea from markets of 24 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in China, were analyzed for sixteen kinds of rare earth elements. Combining the REE concentration data with tea consumption data, derived from the China National Food Consumption Survey 2013–2014, the REE exposure level through tea for adults was estimated. Calculate the hazard quotient, and judge the health risk of the population based on the result value Results The average concentrations of rare earth elements in Oolong tea and black tea were the highest (1611.8µg/kg and 1435.2µg/kg), and in green tea and flower tea were the lowest (735.1µg/kg and 564.1µg/kg). The content values of light rare earth elements (LREEs) were dominant in 94.53% of tea samples, cerium (431.5µg/kg) was the most abundant, followed by lanthanum (267.3µg/kg). The average daily dose of REEs in tea intake for Chinese adults was 0.0328µg/kg BW. There are statistical differences in REEs exposure among different genders of tea drinkers(p < 0.001). The average daily intake of REEs in tea was highest in men aged 40–60 (mean: 0.0383µg/kg BW, P95: 0.1421µg/kg BW), but did not exceed the acceptable daily intake (51.5µg/kg BW). Conclusions Our study suggested the health risk of REEs exposure from tea is low in tea consumers in China.