Mycotoxins in cereals and cereal-based products: Incidence and probabilistic dietary risk assessment for the Brazilian population.

A probabilistic dietary risk assessment on mycotoxins was conducted using the Monte Carlo Risk Assessment software, with consumption data from the 2008/2009 Brazilian Household Budget Survey for individuals who were at least 10 years old and occurrence data for 646 samples of rice, maize, wheat, and their products, collected in the Federal District and in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Processing factors were estimated and applied to concentration data. Chronic exposure was estimated for fumonisins (free and bound/hidden), deoxynivalenol (DON) (including the acetylated forms) and zearalenone (ZON) (including alfa-zearalenol) and acute exposure was estimated for DON. For the general population, the chronic exposure exceeded the safe exposure levels at the 95P for DON and at the 99P for fumonisins. Additionally, safe level exceedance occurred at the 97.5P for fumonisins and at the 95P for DON for teenagers, as well as at the 99P for fumonisins for women of child-bearing-age. No exceedances were found for chronic exposure to ZON and acute exposure to DON. Maize couscous contributed most of the total fumonisins (91%) and ZON intakes (~40%) and bread to total intake of DON (~30%). Further studies should be conducted with updated Brazilian consumption data, which should include information for individuals aged less than 10 years old.

Dietary cumulative acute risk assessment of organophosphorus, carbamates and pyrethroids insecticides for the Brazilian population.

Cumulative acute dietary risk assessments of organophosphorus (OPs), carbamates (CBs) and pyrethroids (PYs) were conducted for the Brazilian population. Residue data for 30786 samples of 30 foods were obtained from two national monitoring programs and one University laboratory, and consumption data from a national survey conducted among persons 10 years or older. Acephate and methamidophos were used as index compounds (IC) for OPs, oxamyl for CBs and deltamethrin for PYs. Exposures were estimated using the Monte Carlo Risk Assessment (MCRA 8.2) software. Orange and orange juice (mainly containing methidathion), pasta and salted bread (mainly pirimiphos-methyl) contributed most to the OPs intake. Rice accounted for 80% of the CBs intake (teenagers), mainly due to aldicarb. Pasta, salted bread and beans contributed most to the PYs intake (9-14%), mainly due to bifenthrin. The intake did not exceed the ARfD at the 99.9th percentile for OPs, CBs and PYs, and the risks from the exposure were not considered of health concern. When food consumption data become available for children under age 10, studies in the cumulative exposure should be conducted, as this age group is the most critical among the population, mainly due to their higher food consumption per kg body weight.