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The Toxicological Analysis of Ni and Cr in Prescription Food for Special Medical Purposes and Modified Milk Products for Babies in Infancy Available in Pharmacies in Poland

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Abstract

Prescription food for special medical purposes (FSMPs) and modified milk products (MMPs) for babies in the infancy period available in pharmacies are increasingly frequently used for newborns and infants—especially in cases where allergies and food-borne diseases are diagnosed. However, there is a lack of scientific study around the safety assessment of the elemental impurities in these products. Importantly, the allergen Ni and the problematic metal Cr are little considered. Hence, the aim of this article was the toxicological analysis of Ni and Cr impurities in prescription FSMPs (n = 6) and MMPs (n = 6) for newborns and infants available in Polish pharmacies. For the best safety assessment, we include three approaches including (1) the levels of Ni and Cr in powdered products, (2) assessment of the daily dose depending on age and body weight of newborns and infants, and (3) the weekly intake of Ni and Cr in samples in comparison to provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI). Our results show that, on the basis of our data, the products from pharmacies in Poland investigated in this study do not represent a real health hazard to newborns and infants, although there may be a requirement for the monitoring of levels of Ni. Our results are pioneer and provide valuable data for other scientists and manufacturers.

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Fig. 1
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Abbreviations

AAS:

Atomic absorption spectrometry

AI:

Adequate intake

bw:

Body weight

FSMPs:

Food for special medical purposes

MMPs:

Modified milk products

PTWI:

Provisional tolerable weekly intake

SD:

Standard deviation

TDI:

Tolerable daily intake

WHO:

World Health Organization

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to express their gratitude to the pharmacists of the pharmacy in Niepołomice “Under the figurine” for free access for samples of FSMPs and modified milk products. The authors wish to express their gratitude to K. and M. Otczyk and P. and T. Banaś from Niepołomice for sharing their own prescription of FSMPs for our studies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kraków, Poland

    Kamil Jurowski

  2. Faculty of Health Promotion, Kraków Higher School of Health Promotion, Krowoderska 73, 31-158, Kraków, Poland

    Kamil Jurowski

  3. Department of Food Chemistry and Nutrition, Medical College, Jagiellonian University, Medyczna 9, 30-688, Kraków, Poland

    Mirosław Krośniak, Maria Fołta & Barbara Tatar

  4. Faculty of Science and Technology, Anglia Ruskin University, East Road, Cambridge, UK

    Michael Cole

  5. Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Gronostajowa 2, 30-387, Kraków, Poland

    Wojciech Piekoszewski

  6. School of Biomedicine, Far Eastern Federal University, Sukhanova 8, Vladivostok, Russia, 690950

    Wojciech Piekoszewski

Authors
  1. Kamil Jurowski
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  2. Mirosław Krośniak
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  3. Maria Fołta
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  4. Barbara Tatar
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  5. Michael Cole
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  6. Wojciech Piekoszewski
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Correspondence to Kamil Jurowski.

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Jurowski, K., Krośniak, M., Fołta, M. et al. The Toxicological Analysis of Ni and Cr in Prescription Food for Special Medical Purposes and Modified Milk Products for Babies in Infancy Available in Pharmacies in Poland. Biol Trace Elem Res 192, 129–135 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-019-01667-w

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