Analysis of 20 year data for the assessment of dietary exposure to chemical contaminants in the region of Thessaly, Greece

Food safety is a key issue for the modern consumer who is often exposed through diet to a variety of hazardous agents. The presence of chemical contaminants in food is an important risk factor with potential serious consequences in consumer's health. Therefore, assessing the extend of consumer's exposure to chemical contaminants is an important parameter in the context of food hazard analysis. Dietary exposure is determined by correlating the eating habits of a population group with the levels of contaminants in food. The purpose of this study was to assess the dietary exposure of the general population to a variety of chemical contaminants by combining questionnaire-based food consumption data with concentration of certain chemicals in foodstuffs. In a sample of 403 people living in Thessaly, their nutritional habits were recorded using the Nutrition Frequency Questionnaire, through a telephone interview. Regarding the data collection on the residues of various chemical pollutants (toxic metals, mycotoxins, biotoxins, dioxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pesticides, veterinary drugs) in foodstuffs of the Greek market, studies and reports from 2000 to 2020 were used. The combination of the daily consumption of food and beverages, with their contamination concentrations in chemical pollutants, led to the assessment of the dietary intake of chemical pollutants. The analysis of the results showed that the examined sample maintains several elements of the Mediterranean diet, such as the daily consumption of fruits, vegetables, milk and dairy products. Chemical contaminants in food produced/marketed in Greece were generally below the acceptable limits, while cereals, fish, fruit, vegetables and alcohol seem to contribute mostly to the human chemical exposure. Gender and age affected the overall dietary intake of pollutants, with women presenting the highest overall nutritional exposure compared to men in all categories of pollutants. Elderly individuals (ages +65) showed a higher, in general, intake of the contaminants evaluated. This study reveals the necessity for monitoring the levels of various chemical contaminants in all food groups, in order to have a valid base of assessing the risk of human exposure. © 2022 Elsevier Lt