Internal Exposure Characteristics of Acrylamide and Associated Health Risk in Chinese Children from Shanghai

Acrylamide (AA), a substance classified as a probable human carcinogen, widely exists in foods subjected to high-temperature processing. Currently, research investigating internal AA exposure levels and the corresponding health risks among Chinese children remains scarce. This work quantified the urinary concentrations of two key AA metabolic biomarkers, namely N-acetyl-S-(3-amino-3-oxopropyl)-cysteine (AAMA) and N-acetyl-S-(3-amino-2-hydroxy-3-oxopropyl)-cysteine (GAMA), using first-morning urine specimens collected from 551 Shanghai children aged 6 to 12. AAMA and GAMA were detectable in all participants, with median concentrations reaching 29 µg/g creatinine and 9 µg/g creatinine, respectively. Statistical analyses demonstrated that maternal educational attainment and frequent weekly fast food consumption exerted significant influences on urinary AAMA and GAMA concentrations. Furthermore, Spearman correlation tests revealed elevated urinary AAMA and GAMA levels closely correlated with the frequent intake of caffeine and fried foods among children aged 8–12. Monte Carlo simulation was adopted to calculate children’s estimated daily AA intake (EDI), generating median (P50) and 95th percentile (P95) EDI values of 0.42 μg/kg·bw·day and 1.12 μg/kg·bw·day, respectively. The margin of exposure (MOE) assessment indicated that the current AA exposure levels in Shanghai children are of low health concern and do not require specific intervention.