Risk Assessment of the Dietary Phosphate Exposure in Taiwan Population Using a Total Diet Study.

Phosphorus and calcium are essential nutrients for the human body. However, excessive intake of phosphates and a low calcium:phosphorus ratio can lead to disorders in calcium-phosphorus metabolism, kidney disease, or osteoporosis. In this study, a total diet study (TDS) was used. The total phosphorus concentrations of foods were combined with the average dietary consumption to calculate the estimated daily intake, which was compared with the maximum tolerable daily intake (MTDI) to assess the resulting health risk of total phosphorus exposure. The calcium concentration in food and total calcium intake were also analyzed and estimated to calculate the calcium:phosphorus ratio. In conclusion, the phosphate exposure risks for the Taiwanese population are acceptable. However, the calcium:phosphorus ratio in the Taiwanese population (0.51-0.63) is lower than the reference calcium:phosphorus ratio (1.25).

Assessing dietary exposure risk to neonicotinoid residues among preschool children in regions of Taiwan.

Neonicotinoids (NEOs) are a class of pesticides widely used worldwide. This study analyzed post-cooking residues of NEO pesticides and assessed their potential health risks for preschool children (0-6 years old) by conducting a total diet study (TDS). It involved food sampling, preparation, analysis of pesticide residues, estimation of food consumption data, and assessment of food safety risks. Food sampling was conducted between March and June 2015. A total of 128 food samples were obtained from 4 parts of Taiwan. After the food had been prepared, the 128 samples were aggregated into 32 composite food items and the NEO residues analyzed. Acetamiprid had the highest detection rate of the NEO residues (59.4%), and the concentrations ranged from not detected to 80.5 µg/kg. The estimated daily intake (EDI) of NEO residues among preschool children was found to be lower than the adjusted acceptable daily intake (ADI) even for highly exposed groups. The results showed that NEO pesticides were primarily detected in preserved fruits, cherry tomato, rape, bell fruit, and baby bok choy. The main health risk posed by detected NEO residues at high consumption rates for preschool children was attributed to acetamiprid (34.20 %ADI) and imidacloprid (23.69 %ADI), respectively. Therefore, this research implicates that the present level of NEO residues in the diets for preschool children in Taiwan does not exceed 100 %ADI.