Measurement of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in edible oils and potential health risk to consumers using Monte Carlo simulation, southwest Iran

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international Vol. 30; no. 2; pp. 5126 - 5136
• Main Authors: Barzegar, Gelavizh, Rezaei Kalantary, Roshanak, Bashiry, Moein, Jaafarzadeh, Nematollah, Ghanbari, Farshid, Shakerinejad, Ghodratollah, Khatebasreh, Masoumeh, Sabaghan, Mohamad
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Anthracene; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Consumers; Contaminants; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Edible oils; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental science; Fluorene; Food; Food contamination; Health risks; Iran; Liquid-liquid extraction; Monte Carlo Method; Monte Carlo simulation; Oils & fats; Persistent organic pollutants; Plant Oils; Pollutants; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - analysis; Research Article; Risk Assessment; Trace contaminants; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Iran; Food safety; Edible oils; Iran; Persistent organic pollutants; Monte Carlo simulation; Health risks
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-22446-6

Persistent organic pollutants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, are hazardous trace contaminants frequently observed in food ingredients, such as edible oils. This study aimed to measure PAHs in forty brands of edible oils marketed in southwest Iran. Additionally, we characterized the daily intake of MOE and ILCR using Monte Carlo simulation. To analyze the content of PAHs, the liquid-liquid extraction method followed by GC-MS was utilized. The average concentration of PAHs was mostly lower than the maximum value for individual PAH (2 μg/Kg); however, the average concentration of fluorene (3.86 μg/Kg) and benzo(a)anthracene (3.13 μg/Kg) was more than the permitted level. The highest residual concentrations of PAHs were mostly observed in canola and corn oils. The daily intake of BaP and 4-PAH for 95% of consumers was 0.01 ng/kg BW/day and 0.04 ng/kg BW/day, respectively. Also, MOE was more than 10,000 for the percentiles of 5%, 50%, and 95%. The modeled ILCR showed that consumption of oil does not currently pose a cancer risk for Iranian consumers due to PAHs exposure. Concerning potential health risks, consumption of edible oils is safe; however, regular monitoring and assessment are required.