Skip to main content
SLU publication database (SLUpub)

Research article2012Peer reviewed

Assessing dietary exposure to cadmium in a metal recycling community in Vietnam: Age and gender aspects

Minh, ND; Lloyd Hough, Rupert; Le, TT; Nyberg, Ylva; Le, BM; Nguyen, CV; Nguyen, MK; Öborn, Ingrid

Abstract

This study study estimates the dietary exposure to cadmium (Cd), and associated potential health risks, for individuals living and working in a metal recycling community (n = 132) in Vietnam in comparison to an agricultural (reference) community (n = 130). Individual-level exposure to Cd was estimated through analysis of staple foodstuffs combined with information from a food frequency questionnaire. Individual-level exposure estimates were compared with published 'safe' doses to derive a Hazard Quotient (HQ) for each member of the study population. Looking at the populations as a whole, there were no significant differences in the diets of the two villages. However, significantly more rice was consumed by working age adults (18-60 years) in the recycling village compared to the reference village (p<0.001). Rice was the main staple food with individuals consuming 461 +/- 162 g/d, followed by water spinach (103 +/- 51 kg/d). Concentrations of Cd in the studied foodstuffs were elevated in the metal recycling village. Values of HQ exceeded unity for 87% of adult participants of the metal recycling community (39% had a HQ > 3), while 20% of adult participants from the reference village had an HQ > 1. We found an elevated health risk from dietary exposure to Cd in the metal recycling village compared to the reference community. WHO standard of 0.4 mg Cd/kg rice may not be protective where people consume large amounts of rice/have relatively low body weight.

Keywords

Heavy metals; Rice; Food chain contamination; Risk; Exposure

Published in

Science of the Total Environment
2012, Volume: 416, pages: 164-171
Publisher: ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

      SLU Authors

      • Sustainable Development Goals

      SDG3 Good health and well-being
      SDG12 Responsible consumption and production

      UKÄ Subject classification

      Environmental Sciences

      Publication identifier

      DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2011.11.068

      Permanent link to this page (URI)

      https://res.slu.se/id/publ/43900