Six Years Monitoring of the Promising Low Grain-Cd Accumulating Rice, RD15 Cultivar Grown on Cd-contaminated Paddy Soils

The experiment was conducted on the Cd-contaminated paddy field, two of Thai rice cultivars, the prevailing KDML105 and RD15 were included together with determining grain-Cd accumulation. The results had revealed that the RD15 contained Cd in grains not only lower than KDML105 but also lower than the critical level as proposed by Codex (0.4 mg kg-1 polished rice). Thus, the RD15 was selected as the promising low grain-Cd accumulating rice cultivar, and farmers were encouraged to grow this cultivar. The grains of prevailing and promising rice cultivars were annually collected for Cd analysis. After six-years monitoring, the results revealed that the average concentration of Cd in KDML105 was 0.658 mg kg-1, which exceeded the critical level. On the other hand, the average concentration observed in RD15 (0.127 mg kg-1) was lower than the critical level. The human dietary intake of Cd through rice consumption was calculated, comparing to the provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI) as adopted by FAO/WHO (7 ug Cd kg-1 BW per week), the PTWI of KDML105 was far exceeded the critical level. Contrary, the RD15 had the PTWI lower than the critical level. Present results indicated that, by cultivating RD15 the promising low-grain Cd cultivar, Cd intake together with health risk of human could be reduced.

Concentrations of Metals in Tissues of Cockle Anadara granosa (Linnaeus, 1758) from East Java Coast, Indonesia, and Potential Risks to Human Health

This study reports the presence of Cd, Pb, Zn, Hg, Cu, and Cr in the cockles (Anadara granosa, Linnaeus, 1758) harvested along the East Java Coast, Indonesia. The concentrations of metals were determined by atomic absorption spectrometer and expressed in mg kg-1 wet weight. The concentrations of metals ranged from 0.11 to 0.82 mg kg−1 for Cd, 0.10 to 0.54 mg kg−1 for Pb, 10.22 to 19.04 mg kg−1 for Zn, 0.02 to 1.47 mg kg−1 for Hg, 1.79 to 4.76 mg kg−1 for Cu, and 1.64 to 3.79 mg kg−1 for Cr. The metal concentrations in the whole tissues of cockles were in the order Zn>Cu>Cr>Hg>Cd>Pb. The Cd and Pb levels in cockles were found to be higher than the permissible limit for human consumption according to EC and FAO; the levels of Hg exceeded the EC, Hong Kong, Australia, and Indonesia standards; and the levels of Cr exceeded the Hong Kong standard. The estimated weekly intake (EWI) of cockles indicates that the concentrations of Cd and Hg in the cockle tissues from Gresik were higher than the provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI); meanwhile, the concentrations of Cr of cockles from all locations were higher than and close to the PTWI. The THQ values for Cd at Gresik, for Hg at Gresik, Surabaya, and Pasuruan, and for Cr at all locations were higher than one indicating that these metals pose potential noncarcinogenic effects to consumers. Reducing the consumption of cockles should be done in order to minimize the adverse effects of metals especially Cd, Hg, and Cr to human health.

Bahaya Kontaminasi Logam Berat Merkuri (Hg) dalam Ikan Laut dan Upaya Pencegahan Kontaminasi pada Manusia

Produk pangan mentah terutama dari hasil laut memiliki tingkat pencemaran logam berat yang mengkhawatirkan akibat semakin banyaknya bahan pencemar yang masuk dalam lingkungan perairan Indonesia yang berasal dari pembuangan limbah industri di sepanjang wilayah pantai dapat menjadi sumber racun bagi kehidupan perairan. Adanya kandungan logam berat di perairan Laut Jawa, memungkinkan adanya kotaminasi pada ikan laut hasil Laut Jawa yang didistribusikan ke masyarakat. Hal ini tidak sesuai dengan peraturan pemerintah yang mengatur dan melindungi keamanan pangan yaitu PP Nomor 28 tahun 2004 tentang Keamanan, Mutu, dan Gizi Pangan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui dan mengukur kadar logam berat merkuri (Hg) pada hasil laut di Pantai Utara Jawa dan menjelaskan upaya pencegahan kontaminasi pada manusia. Penelitian ini bersifat deskriptif dengan pendekatan cross sectional study. Akumulasi logam berat di dalam tubuh manusia dalam jangka waktu yang lama dapat mengganggu sistem peredaran darah, urat syaraf dan kerja ginjal. Kadar rata - rata logam berat merkuri (Hg) pada ikan tongkol (Euthynnus sp.) di Pantai Utara Jawa sebesar 0,141 mg/kg. Langkah pengendalian yang dapat diterapkan untuk mencegah bahaya logam berat Hg yaitu dengan pengendalian pencemaran limbah dari industri yang berlokasi disekitar wilayah perairan Laut Utara Jawa. Upaya pencegahan akumulasi kontaminasi logam berat Hg pada manusia yaitu mengatur konsumsi ikan laut setiap harinya dengan perhitungan ADI (Acceptable Daily Intake) diperoleh hasil 0,168 μg/kg BB per minggu. Akan tetapi bila konsumsi ikan seseorang melebihi rata-rata konsumsi perhari, dan weekly intake-nya melebihi PTWI (provisional tolerable weekly intake) yang telah ditetapkan WHO, maka dapat berefek negatif pada kesehatan.

Cadmium, environmental exposure, and health outcomes

We provide an update of the issues surrounding health risk assessment of exposure to cadmium in food. Bioavailability of ingested cadmium has been confirmed in studies of persons with elevated dietary exposure, and the findings have been strengthened by the substantial amounts of cadmium accumulated in kidneys, eyes, and other tissues and organs of environmentally exposed individuals. We hypothesized that such accumulation results from the efficient absorption and systemic transport of cadmium, employing multiple transporters that are used for the body's acquisition of calcium, iron, zinc, and manganese. Adverse effects of cadmium on kidney and bone have been observed in environmentally exposed populations at frequencies higher than those predicted from models of exposure. Population data raise concerns about the validity of the current safe intake level that uses the kidney as the sole target in assessing the health risk from ingested cadmium. The data also question the validity of incorporating the default 5% absorption rate in the threshold-type risk assessment model, known as the provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI), to derive a safe intake level for cadmium.

Fish consumption is a safe solution to increase the intake of long-chainn-3 fatty acids

ObjectivesDietary intake of long-chain (LC)n-3 PUFA in developed countries is low compared with recommendations. Fish is naturally rich in LCn-3 PUFA, but is also a dietary source of heavy metals and organic pollutants. We investigated whether the recommendation for LCn-3 PUFA could be reached through fish consumption, without exceeding the provisional tolerable weekly intake of methylmercury (MeHg) and the tolerable weekly intake (TWI) of dioxin-like compounds. Also, the contribution of margarines enriched with LCn-3 PUFA was assessed.DesignPublished nutrient and contaminant data were used in a probabilistic model to calculate the simultaneous nutrient and contaminant intake for different fish consumption scenarios.ResultsThe Belgian recommendation for EPA + DHA (0·3 % of total energy intake) can be reached by consuming fatty fish a minimum of twice a week, or by varying between lean and fatty fish a minimum of three times a week. At this fish consumption level, MeHg intake is not an issue of toxicological concern. The intake of dioxin-like compounds approximates the TWI when consuming fatty fish more than twice a week, this being a potential toxicological risk because other food items also contribute to the weekly intake of dioxin-like compounds. Use of margarine enriched with LCn-3 PUFA can help to increase LCn-3 intake, on average by 159 mg/d.ConclusionsCombination of regular fish consumption (twice a week) with important contribution of fatty fish species, in combination with regular consumption of margarine enriched with EPA + DHA, can be advised to achieve the recommendation for LCn-3 intake.

Cadmium in Cephalopod Molluscs: Implications for Public Health

Cadmium concentrations were measured in the flesh and hepatopancreas (digestive gland) of 1,392 specimens of different species of cephalopod molluscs (broadtail squid, spider octopus, curled octopus, horned octopus, elegant cuttlefish, and pink cuttlefish) to determine whether maximum levels fixed by the European Commission were exceeded. In all species, mean cadmium concentrations were higher in hepatopancreas than in flesh. Large differences among the different species were also observed. Pink cuttlefish and spider octopus had the highest concentrations for both flesh (spider octopus, 0.77 μg g−1; pink cuttlefish, 0.87 μg g−1) and hepatopancreas (spider octopus, 9.65 μg g−1; pink cuttlefish, 18.03 μg g−1), and the lowest concentrations were encountered in broadtail squid (flesh, 0.13 μg g−1; hepatopancreas, 2.48 μg g−1). The other species had intermediate concentrations of 0.20 to 0.30 μg g−1 in flesh and 5.46 to 8.01 μg g−1 in hepatopancreas. Concentrations exceeding the limit proposed by the European Commission (1.00 μg g−1) were observed in 44.4 and 40.0% of flesh samples of spider octopus and pink cuttlefish, respectively. The estimated weekly intake, 0.09 to 0.66 μg/kg body weigh, was below the provisional tolerable weekly intake set by the World Health Organization.