Abstract
Certain food products have been shown to accumulate arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) making it critical to monitor individual’s intake, particularly when they live near sources of environmental contamination. After a literature review, a novel dietary assessment was conducted to estimate a child’s potential exposure to these metal(loid)s via consumption of locally grown foods in communities impacted by active or legacy resource extraction activities. Mean ingestion rates of As- and Cd-translocating crops belonging to the Asteraceae, Brassicaceae, Caricaceae, Amaranthaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Liliaceae, Solanaceae, Apiaceae, and Fabaceae plant families were calculated for children: 1 to < 2 years, 2 to < 3 years, and 3 to < 6 years of age. These calculated ingestion rates ranged from 0 to 143,571 mg day−1. Farmer–consumer relationship was the leading motivation for buying locally grown foods, while lack of experience/unfamiliarity was the most frequently reported reason for not buying locally. The median percentages of child’s yearly consumption of fruits and vegetables originating from stores (conventionally grown) and from local sources (farmer’s market) were 48% and 38%, respectively. Tomato was the crop with the highest intake rate among children 1 to < 2 years and 2 to < 3 years of age and broccoli for children 3 to < 6 years of age. It was concluded that families who are reliant on locally grown food products may be disproportionately exposed to As and Cd, which could cause detrimental health effects.
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Acknowledgements
This work was funded by the California Breast Cancer Research Program (Grant 23AB-1301A) and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Superfund Research Program (P42ES04940). The authors are grateful to the families and site administrators that completed the dietary assessment for this study, as well as the entire Gardenroots: The Nevada County, CA Garden Project research team including our colleagues, Joanne Hild, M. Katy Janes, Dr. Peggy Reynolds, Annika Alexander-Ozinskas, and Allison Hacker. We would also like to thank and Dr. A. Eduardo Sáez, Dr. Robert A. Root, and Barbara Moore from the University of Arizona for their help in preparation of this manuscript.
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Manjón, I., Ramírez-Andreotta, M. A dietary assessment tool to estimate arsenic and cadmium exposures from locally grown foods. Environ Geochem Health 42, 2121–2135 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-019-00486-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-019-00486-1