Assessing Variability in Children's Exposure to Contaminants in Food: A Longitudinal Non-Targeted Analysis Study in...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Food Safety
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Food serves as a critical exposure pathway for anthropogenic contaminants.
• Understanding contaminant profiles in food is vital for public health, especially for vulnerable populations like families with young children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the presence and distribution of organic contaminants in food consumed by families with small children in South Florida.
• To evaluate seasonal and socioeconomic variabilities in the chemical composition of food.

Main Methods:

• Utilized QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Rugged, and Safe) protocols for sample preparation.
• Employed non-targeted analysis (NTA) with LC-Orbitrap HRMS (Liquid Chromatography-Orbitrap High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry) for comprehensive contaminant screening.
• Annotated and identified compounds using Compound Discoverer (CD) software and analyzed distributions with boxplots and Principal Component Analysis (PCA).

Main Results:

• Demonstrated significant seasonal and socioeconomic differences in contaminant distributions (p < 0.05).
• Observed a predominance of polymers and surfactants (e.g., dodecanedioic acid, N-dodecylacrylamide) in food during the wet season.
• Identified higher prevalence of plasticizers (e.g., bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate) and pharmaceuticals (e.g., warfarin) in the dry season.
• Found higher levels of 1-nitrosopiperidine in food from upper socioeconomic classes and benzocaine in food from lower socioeconomic classes.

Conclusions:

• Seasonal variations in precipitation influence the transport and presence of specific contaminants like polymers and surfactants.
• Socioeconomic factors correlate with the consumption of foods containing different types of contaminants, such as nitrosamines and anesthetics.
• The study highlights the complex interplay of environmental and socioeconomic factors shaping food contaminant profiles.