Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
2
pubmed:dateCreated
2000-11-8
pubmed:abstractText
Food consumption is an important route of human exposure to pesticides and industrial pollutants. Average dietary exposures to 37 pollutants were calculated for the whole United States population and for children under age 12 years by combining contaminant data with food consumption data and summing across food types. Pollutant exposures were compared to benchmark concentrations, which are based on standard toxicological references, for cancer and noncancer health effects. Average food ingestion exposures for the whole population exceeded benchmark concentrations for arsenic, chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, dioxins, and polychlorinated biphenyls, when nondetects were assumed to be equal to zero. For each of these pollutants, exposure through fish consumption accounts for a large percentage of food exposures. Exposure data for childhood age groups indicated that benchmark concentrations for the six identified pollutants are exceeded by the time age 12 years is reached. The methods used in this analysis could underestimate risks from childhood exposure, as children have a longer time to develop tumors and they may be more susceptible to carcinogens; therefore, there may be several additional contaminants of concern. In addition, several additional pollutants exceeded benchmark levels when nondetects were assumed to be equal to one half the detection limit. Uncertainties in exposure levels may be large, primarily because of numerous samples with contaminant levels below detection limits.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Oct
pubmed:issn
0013-9351
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
84
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
170-85
pubmed:dateRevised
2009-11-19
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2000
pubmed:articleTitle
Dietary exposures to food contaminants across the United States.
pubmed:affiliation
Industrial Economics, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02140, USA.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.