Risk of Non-Carcinogenic Effects from Exposure to Chemical Substances Found in Food Products

BACKGROUND: Chemical contamination of food raw materials and food products, even at levels below permissible doses and concentrations, may pose a risk to public health. AIM: The work aimed to assess the non-carcinogenic health risks to the population of the Republic of Tatarstan associated with chemical contamination of food raw materials and food products, taking into account regional exposure factors. METHODS: The risk assessment was based on the findings of food raw material and food product studies conducted between 2008 and 2022 by the Testing Laboratory Center of the Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology in the Republic of Tatarstan. The number of samples of food raw materials and food products analyzed by group ranged from 1179 (eggs) to 5862 (meat and meat products). Calculations were performed for the following groups of food raw materials and food products: meat and meat products; fish and fish products; milk and dairy products; bread and bakery products; sugar and confectionery products; vegetables and melons (excluding potatoes); potatoes; fruits and berries; vegetable oils; eggs. Actual food consumption was assessed based on a survey of 471 individuals aged over 18 years. To assess the risk of non-carcinogenic effects of chemical contaminants, hazard quotients and hazard indices were calculated. RESULTS: Hazard identification revealed priority chemical substances found in food products that were subject to further non-carcinogenic risk assessment: α- and β-hexachlorocyclohexane, basudin, benzo[a]pyrene, heptachlor, deoxynivalenol, DDT and its metabolites, iron, cadmium, γ-hexachlorocyclohexane, copper, arsenic, sodium fluoride, sodium chlorite, nitrates, nitrites, 2,4-D acid derivatives, mercury, lead, phosphamide, fluoride, zinc, and cypermethrin. The following critical organs and systems had the highest risk of adverse effects from exposure to chemical contaminants found in food raw materials and food products: the nervous system (hazard index up to 18.89), the hematopoietic system (up to 9.71), the liver (up to 7.71), the kidneys (up to 5.71), and the reproductive and endocrine systems (up to 3.94). CONCLUSION: Adverse non-carcinogenic effects are primarily associated with contamination of food raw materials and food products with phosphamide (via bread and bakery products, fruits and berries), nitrates (via vegetables and melons, bread and bakery products, potatoes), and γ-hexachlorocyclohexane (via dairy products, bread and bakery products, vegetables and melons). The hematopoietic and nervous systems, liver, kidneys, and systems involved in growth and development are the most vulnerable to general toxic effects of chemical contaminants with similar mechanisms of action.