Food Exposures to Lead

Exposures to lead have emanated from various sources, including food, throughout human history. Occupational and environmental exposures (especially pica) appear to account for much of the identified human disease, however, food-borne exposures deserve further investigation. Lead residues in food ca...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inEnvironmental health perspectives Vol. 7; pp. 65 - 74
Main Authors Kolbye, Albert C., Mahaffey, Kathryn R., Fiorino, John A., Corneliussen, Paul C., Jelinek, Charles F.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. National Institutes of Health. Department of Health, Education and Welfare 01.05.1974
Subjects
Animals
Baby formula
Children
Feces - analysis
Food
Food Analysis
Food consumption
Food Inspection
Food intake
Food preparation
Food Preservation
Food-Processing Industry
Fruits
Humans
Infant
Infant Food - analysis
Lead
Lead - analysis
Lead industry
Meats
Methods
Milk - analysis
United States
United States Food and Drug Administration
United States
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Summary:Exposures to lead have emanated from various sources, including food, throughout human history. Occupational and environmental exposures (especially pica) appear to account for much of the identified human disease, however, food-borne exposures deserve further investigation. Lead residues in food can result from: biological uptake from soils into plants consumed by food animals or man, usage of lead arsenate pesticides, inadvertent addition during food processing, and by leaching them improperly glazed pottery used as food storage or dining utensils. Estimates of total dietary exposure should reflect frequency distribution data on lead levels in specific food commodities in relation to the quantities actually ingested by various sample populations to distinguish degrees of risk associated with particular dietary habits. Earlier estimates of average total dietary intake of lead by adults have been reported to range from above 500 μg/day downward with more recent estimates suggesting averages of 200 μg/day or lower. The strengths and weaknesses of these data are discussed along with analytical and sampling considerations. FDA programs related to food surveillance, epidemiology, and toxicological investigation are briefly described.
ISSN:0091-6765
1552-9924
DOI:10.1289/ehp.74765