Regional characteristics of dietary lead intake in the Chinese population

Lead is known as a potent toxicant to human health and there is currently an issue with lead contamination of food in China. This study analysed the regional characteristics of dietary lead intake of the Chinese population and used this to assess the health risks for each region due to the presence of lead in different foods. Data of dietary lead intake was used from the 4th and 5th Chinese Total Diet Studies (CTDS) covering 12 to 20 provinces. Over 200 kinds of food samples were divided and analysed. Results showed that lead consumption varies from region to region, with some, such as Heibei, being at higher risk and consuming larger amounts, and others, such as Shanxi, being at lower risk. It was found that the spatial correlation between lead intake from meats and vegetables was 0.545. The strong association between meats and vegetables shows that lead contamination has a large effect on fresh foods. The food groups with the highest contribution to lead intake were cereals and vegetables, while the food categories with the lowest contribution were dairy products, sugar, and alcohol. The main food group contributing to lead intake in different regions was found to be cereals in Hebei, vegetables in Heilongjiang and Ningxia, and meats in Sichuan and Hunan. The food products contributing the most to lead intake were found to be kelp and nori in many provinces and other notable foods included processed and preserved soybean, meat, and fungus products. These results allow policy makers to better target their efforts when working on the issue of lead contamination, focusing on areas of high contamination, and to advise consumers to adjust their diets to avoid high risk foods as this issue is being resolved.