French infant total diet study: Dietary exposure to heat-induced compounds (acrylamide, furan and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) and associated health risks.

A total diet study (TDS) was conducted between 2010 and 2016 to assess the risk associated with chemicals in food of non-breast-fed children from 1 to 36 months living in France. Food samples were collected, prepared "as consumed", and analyzed for chemicals of public health interest. Acrylamide, furan and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were analyzed as heat-induced compounds produced mainly during thermal processing of foods. Dietary exposure was assessed for 705 representative children using food consumptions recorded through a 3-consecutive-days record. As all calculated margins of exposure (MOE) for PAHs exceeded 10 000, dietary exposure of the infant and toddler population was deemed tolerable with regard to the carcinogenic risk. Conversely, the exposure levels to acrylamide and furan were considered as of concern, requiring management measures to reduce the exposure essentially by reducing the formation of heat-induced compounds during food production or preparation processes. Efforts should mainly focus on major contributors to the exposure, i.e. sweet and savoury biscuits and bars, and potatoes and potato products for acrylamide, baby jars of vegetables, with or without meat or fish for acrylamide and furan.

French infant total diet study: Exposure to selected trace elements and associated health risks.

A total diet study (TDS) was conducted between 2010 and 2016 to assess the risk associated with chemicals in food of non-breast-fed children under three living in France. 291 composite food samples were prepared "as consumed" and analyzed for 16 trace elements: aluminium (Al), antimony (Sb), arsenic (As), barium (Ba), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), gallium (Ga), germanium (Ge), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni), silver (Ag), strontium (Sr), tellurium (Te), tin (Sn), vanadium (V). Dietary exposure was assessed for 705 representative children using food consumptions recorded through a 3-consecutive-days record. For inorganic mercury, chromium III, and antimony, the exposure levels were lower than the health-based guidance values and the risk was considered tolerable. Conversely, the exposure levels to inorganic arsenic, lead and nickel were higher than the health-based guidance values for a part of children and were considered as a concern, requiring management measures to reduce the exposure. For aluminium, methylmercury, strontium, chromium VI, cobalt, and barium, a risk could not be ruled out because of uncertainty sources. As a precautionary measure, reducing the exposure is recommended. For chemicals without robust health-based guidance value (organic arsenic, gallium, germanium, silver, tin, tellurium and vanadium), additional data are needed for risk assessment.