Concentrations of arsenic, cadmium and lead in selected foodstuffs from Serbian market basket: Estimated intake by the population from the Serbia

In this study arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) were determined in 114 samples of various food items collected at supermarkets located in Novi Sad, the capitol of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina in January 2012 and March 2013. The considered items represented the most consumed foodstuffs according to the “national market basket”. The highest concentrations were obtained for Pb in candy (0.323 mg kg−1), for Cd in paprika (0.118 mg kg−1) and for As in canned fish (0.43 mg kg−1). The results were compared with the relevant data on the occurrence of these toxic elements available in literature for other European countries. Human health risk assessment through dietary exposure was evaluated for Serbian adult consumers. The estimated intakes were compared with available toxicological references to assess the risk of As, Cd and Pb intake through consumption of analysed food items. The highest intake were estimated for Pb being 72.30 μg day−1 for adult population, while intakes of As and Cd were significantly lower (21.89 μg day−1 and 11.51 μg day−1, respectively).