Mercury Content and Screening Exposure Assessment in Sports Food Supplements

Sport-related food supplements are widely used by physically active individuals and athletes, but their chemical safety may vary with formulation, raw-material origin, and manufacturing practices. This study determined the mercury (Hg) content in 50 selected sports-related food supplements available on the Polish market and performed a screening exposure assessment based on the maximum manufacturer-recommended daily portion. Total Hg content was measured by atomic absorption spectrometry using an Advanced Mercury Analyzer AMA-254. The median Hg content was 9.008 µg/kg (interquartile range: 5.287-21.938 µg/kg; range: 0.395-51.694 µg/kg), and no statistically significant differences were found among supplement categories. All concentrations were below the European Union maximum level of 0.1 mg/kg for food supplements. For a 100 kg adult, all product-specific Target Hazard Quotient (THQ) values were below 1 in the hypothetical 100% inorganic Hg scenario. In the conservative 100% methylmercury scenario, three gel products with maximum recommended intakes of 300 g/day yielded THQ values of 1.040-1.551, although their contributions to the tolerable weekly intake remained below 100% (55.98-83.51%). Because only total Hg was determined, these calculations represent bounding screening scenarios rather than species-specific risk estimates. The findings demonstrate that regulatory compliance based on Hg concentration should be complemented by serving-size-based exposure assessment and support continued monitoring and direct Hg speciation in high-consumption sports supplements.