Refined assessment of heavy metal-associated health risk due to the consumption of traditional animal medicines in humans

• Published in: Environmental monitoring and assessment Vol. 191; no. 3; pp. 171 - 12
• Main Authors: Zuo, Tian-Tian, Li, Yao-Lei, He, Huai-Zhen, Jin, Hong-Yu, Zhang, Lei, Sun, Lei, Gao, Fei, Wang, Qi, Shen, Yuan-Jun, Ma, Shuang-Cheng, He, Lang-Chong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.03.2019; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Analytical methods; Animals; Arsenic; Arsenic - analysis; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Body weight; Cadmium; Cancer; Chromium; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecology; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Management; Environmental monitoring; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Environmental science; Female; Females; Health risk assessment; Health risks; Heavy metals; Herbal medicine; Humans; Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry; Ingestion; Lead; Male; Males; Mass spectroscopy; Materia Medica - chemistry; Materia Medica - standards; Medicine, Chinese Traditional - standards; Mercury; Mercury (metal); Metals, Heavy - analysis; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Risk Assessment; Shells; Spectroscopy; Traditional Chinese medicine; Worms; Target hazard quotient (THQ); Cancer risk (CR); Traditional animal medicine; Risk assessment; Heavy metals; Estimated daily intake (EDI)
• ISSN: 0167-6369; 1573-2959
• DOI: 10.1007/s10661-019-7270-1

Little is known about the extent of heavy metal accumulation in traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs). In this study, the levels of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), and mercury (Hg) in traditional animal medicines were monitored using inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS). Additionally, for the first time, a heavy metal risk assessment strategy was used to evaluate the potential risks of traditional animal medicines by calculating estimated daily intake (EDI), target hazard quotient (THQ), and cancer risk (CR). To obtain a refined risk assessment, the frequency of exposure to traditional animal medicines was determined from questionnaire data, and the safe factor for TCM was applied. Based on the standard levels for leech, it was found that earthworm, hive, scorpion, and leech accumulated high levels of heavy metals. The combined THQ (cTHQ) values indicated that ingestion of most traditional animal medicines would not pose a risk to the health of either male or female human beings. However, it was indicated that attention should be paid to the potential risk associated with cicada slough, earthworm, scorpion, turtle shells, and hive. Among heavy metals, As and Hg contributed to a major extent to the risk to human health. The CR assessment for Pb and As indicated that, with the exception of earthworm, the cancer risk was less than the acceptable lifetime risk for both males and females. Owing to the higher body weight, both THQ and CR were generally lower for males than for females.