Assessment of food contamination and dietary intake of lead and thallium in a Northern Italy population.

Lead and thallium are heavy metals released in the environment after natural and anthropogenic activities. Food and water intake are the major sources of human exposure to these elements. In this study, we aimed at characterizing lead and thallium content in foods consumed in Northern Italy population, in order to estimate the dietary intake of these metals. To do that we bought food samples in markets and groceries collected during the period from October 2016 to February 2017 in the Emilia Romagna region, and we measured their element content using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Finally, after assessing dietary habits of an Emilia-Romagna community by using a validated food frequency questionnaire, we eventually estimated dietary intake of these metals in that community. In the 890 analyzed food samples, the highest lead contamination levels were found in seafood, vegetables, sweets and beverages. The estimated dietary intake of lead was 5.758 (interquartile range-IQR: 4.547-7.427) µg/day, corresponding to 0.089 (IQR: 0.069-0.113) µg/kg of body weight per day, with cereals, beverages and vegetables as major contributors. About thallium, one third of specimens showed very low levels below the limit of detection, with the highest contamination levels in vegetables, dry fruits and sweets. The dietary intake of thallium was 0.236 (IQR: 0.183-0.312) µg/day, mainly from vegetables, beverages, cereals and sweets. In conclusion, our study provides an estimation of lead and thallium intake in a Northern Italian community and shows a generally low exposure levels from dietary sources.