Objective To evaluate cadmium intake from aquatic food and its health risks in Shanghai by investigating cadmium concentration and the dietary consumption of aquatic food.
Methods A total of 428 aquatic food samples were collected by stratified random sampling method and determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. A food frequency questionnaire was designed to collect information on aquatic food intake in 2 630 Shanghai residents recruited by multistage stratified random sampling method. Cadmium exposure level was calculated using dietary intake assessment model and Crystal Ball software.
Results The average concentration of cadmium in the aquatic food samples was 0.038 3 mg/kg, and the mean values in fresh-water fish, marine fish, crustacean, and mollusk were 0.008 2, 0.016 8, 0.046 9, and 0.091 0 mg/kg, respectively. The mean values of daily consumption of fresh-water fish, marine fish, crustacean, and mollusk were 21.78, 10.85, 28.43, and 3.81 g/d, respectively in selected residents. The participants with age of 18-34 years (young group) consumed more fresh-water fish (29.38 g/d) and crustacean (39.37 g), the participants with age of 35-59 years (middle-age group) ate more marine fish (15.96 g). The consumptions of 4 aquatic food categories were low in the ≥ 60-year-old participants (elderly group) and 1-to <3-year-old infants. The 95% confidence interval of weekly cadmium intakes from aquatic food was 0.00-0.12 mg. According to the probability assessment, 4.80% of selected residents' cadmium intakes exceeded provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI). The 97.5 percentiles of weekly cadmium intakes in the groups of infants, children, young, middle-aged, and elderly were 0.05, 0.13, 0.10, 0.15, and 0.14mg, respectively.
Conclusion Cadmium exposure levels from aquatic food are high in Shanghai residents, among whom 4.80% are at the risk of adverse health effects, especially infants and children.
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