Human Health Risks Derived from Dietary Exposure to Toxic Metals in Catalonia,Spain: Temporal Trend

The present study was aimed at estimating the current (2012) dietary intake of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), and lead (Pb) by the population of Catalonia, Spain. The temporal trends with respect to previous surveys, performed in 2000, 2005, and 2008, were also determined. For that purpose, metal concentrations were analyzed in a number of widely consumed foodstuffs. A speciation study was also conducted by experimentally determining the levels of inorganic As (InAs) and methylmercury (MeHg) in the same food items. Furthermore, the dietary intake of those metals and species was calculated both deterministically and probabilistically by considering two food consumption surveys: ENCAT and ENIDE, representative of the Catalan and Spanish populations, respectively. An important temporal decrease of the dietary intake was noted for most elements, irrespective of the age-gender population group. Considering data for a male adult, the current dietary intake of As, InAs, Cd, Hg, MeHg, and Pb was estimated in 216, 2.6, 8.7, 10, 7.3, and 8.4 μg/day, respectively, being these values lower than the respective provisional tolerable weekly intakes (PTWIs) or benchmark dose lower confidence limits (BMDLs). Moreover, new calculations by means of ENIDE survey indicated similar results to those previously obtained by ENCAT, with the exception of MeHg, whose intake exceeded the maximum recommended values for some part of the population. Although our data are similar to those frequently found in other European countries, the important intake of MeHg, which is linked to the high consumption of fish and shellfish, deserves further investigation.     

Dietary Exposure to Organochlorine Compounds in Tarragona Province (Catalonia,Spain): Health Risks

The human health risks due to the dietary exposure to organochlorine compounds (OC) were assessed in the Catalan stretch of the Ebro River (Spain). The concentrations of various persistent organic pollutants (POPs): polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), pentachlorobenzene (PeCB), various hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), as well as dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) and derivatives, were determined in samples of fish and seafood, vegetables, fruits, and rice, acquired in localities of the zone under evaluation. In general terms, pollutant concentrations were similar to recent levels reported in the literature. With the exception of the consumption of fish and seafood by children, and due to the presence of PCBs (Aroclor 1254), food intake from local sources does not pose non-carcinogenic risks for all population groups examined. The presence of OC in foods of local origin in the Catalan basin of the Ebro River would not increase the health risks for the area's consumers.     

Dietary Exposure to Metals by Individuals Living Near a Hazardous Waste Incinerator in Catalonia, Spain: Temporal Trend

The concentrations of arsenic (As), beryllium (Be), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), mercury (Hg), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), tin (Sn), thallium (Tl), and vanadium (V) were determined in a number of foodstuffs purchased during 2006 in various localities of Tarragona County (Catalonia, Spain), near a hazardous waste incinerator, which has been operating since 1999. The dietary intake of the above elements by the population of the area was subsequently estimated. The results were compared with those obtained in previous surveys (baseline 1997 and 2002) performed in the same area. The levels of Be, Tl, and V were under their respective limits of detection in all samples. The estimated dietary intakes of the elements analyzed in the current survey by an adult man of 70 kg were the following: 351?μg/day for As, 4.6?μg/day for Cd, 57.5?μg/day for Cr, 7.1?μg/day for Hg, 2,229?μg/day for Mn, 78.0?μg/day for Ni, 39.9?μg/day for Pb, and 37.9?μg/day for Sn. On average, fish and seafood were the main contributor to the total dietary intake of As, Cd, and Hg and one of the most important for Pb. In general terms, the differences on metal exposure through dietary intake between the present and our two previous surveys were not particularly relevant. The current intake of the most toxic elements (As, Cd, Hg, and Pb) remains under the respective Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intakes established by the Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization.     

Human Exposure to Arsenic,Cadmium, Mercury,and Lead from Foods in Catalonia,Spain: Temporal Trend

The main purpose of this study was to establish the temporal trend in the daily dietary intake of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), and lead (Pb) by the population of Catalonia, Spain. Concentrations of these elements were determined in samples of a number of food items widely consumed in that country. The dietary intake of As, Cd, Hg, and Pb was then estimated for various age–gender groups of population: children, adolescents, adults, and seniors. In the present study, the dietary intakes of As, inorganic As, Cd, Hg, methylmercury, and Pb were 328.37, 16.22, 19.47, 11.39, 10.25, and 101.47 μg/day, respectively, while in a previous (2006) survey, the dietary intakes of As, inorganic As, Cd, Hg, methylmercury, and Pb were 261.01, 33.17, 9.80, 12.61, 11.35, and 45.13 μg/day, respectively. The estimated intakes of Cd, Hg, and Pb are still notably lower than the respective PTWIs, while that of inorganic As is also lower than its BMDL₀₁. In summary, the results of this study indicate that, currently, the dietary intakes of As, Cd, Hg, and Pb should not mean additional health risks for the consumers.     

Dietary Intake of Arsenic, Cadmium, Mercury, and Lead by the Population of Catalonia, Spain

The concentrations of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), and lead (Pb) were determined in samples of food items widely consumed by the population of Catalonia, Spain. All samples were randomly acquired in 12 cities of Catalonia between March and June of 2006 and analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The dietary intake of these elements was estimated for various age–gender groups of population: children, adolescents, adults, and seniors. In order to determine the temporal trend on the dietary exposure to As, Cd, Hg, and Pb, the current results were compared with those of a previous survey (2000). In the present market basket study, for a standard male adult of 70-kg body weight living in Catalonia, the dietary intakes of As, Cd, Hg, and Pb were 261.01, 9.80, 12.61, and 45.13 μg/day, respectively, while in the 2000 survey, these intakes were 223.59, 15.73, 21.22, and 28.37 μg/day, for As, Cd, Hg, and Pb, respectively. For As, the only food groups currently contributing with measurable amounts to intake of total As were fish and shellfish and cereals, while for Cd the highest contribution to total intake corresponded to pulses, tubers, and cereals. For Hg, the contribution was only due to fish and shellfish, while cereals were the group with the highest contribution to total Pb intake. The estimated intakes of As, Cd, Hg, and Pb are notably lower than the respective provisional tolerable weekly intakes, which indicate that these intakes should not mean additional health risks for the consumers.     

Stabilization of Motorway Slopes with Herbaceous Cover, Catalonia, Spain

We monitored several herbaceous species for revegetating motorway slopes in Catalonia, Spain, a Mediterranean country. Two main kinds of treatments were applied: hydroseeding on bare marl, chalk, and slates, and hydroseeding on embankments over gentler slopes, where soil materials previously removed were spread before hydroseeding. The greatest herbaceous cover was obtained by hydroseeding after soil replacement, and marl was the most suitable bare substratum for hydroseeding. Physical characteristics such as schistosily plane in slates and softness or surface irregularity in chalk determined the outcome of revegetation efforts. The most immediate stabilization of soils was obtained on southern exposures with autumnal applications. Grasses, markedly of the genera Lolium and Festuca, were dominant in the herbaceous cover at the end of the monitoring period. Natural invasive vegetation was composed of ruderal species, but no representatives of the adjacent forest or maquis community were found.     

Mitigation Strategies in Some Motorway Embankments (Catalonia, Spain)

Erosion is one of the most dramatic problems arising after land restoration in semi‐arid Mediterranean areas. Topsoiling and subsequent hydroseeding are the main practices designed to reclaim motorway embankments, but there is a lack of information about the relationship between the ground cover furnished by the conventional seed mixtures and the erosion rate in the new created slopes. Ground cover and erosion rate were monitored simultaneously on some embankments of the Maresme motorway (Barcelona, Spain) during the first year after reclamation. Under similar geologic, topographic, and climatic conditions, the erosion rate was dependent on the percentage of herbaceous ground cover. Grasses accounted for most of the ground cover. Most of the seeded species did not contribute to the soil protection, and Lolium rigidum was the only grass growing satisfactorily on all the embankments. Legumes were important in autumn with Trifolium repens and Trifolium alexandrinum growing on the northwest‐ and southeast‐facing embankments, respectively. The erosion rate was intolerable where ground cover was <25%, and tolerable where ground cover was> 50%.     

Determinants of distribution of six Pinus species in Catalonia,Spain

Abstract. This study explores the determinants of distribution, abundance and regeneration of six Pinus species (P. halepensis, P. nigra, P. pinaster, P. pinea, P. sylvestris and P. uncinata) that occur naturally in Catalonia, northeastern Spain. The aim of this study was to generate accurate predictions of the distribution of each species using simple and readily available environmental variables. We used recursive partitioning and GIS analyses to relate the data base of 10 600 field plots from the Forestry Inventory of Catalonia with abiotic and biotic characteristics of each plot. We present general patterns of distribution, dominance and regeneration for the six species and then focus on P. halepensis, the most abundant pine species in the western Mediterranean Basin. For all six species, the models correctly classified more than 80% of the distribution using abiotic factors, mainly altitude and rainfall variability. Biotic factors such as the basal area of other pine species were necessary to accurately predict patterns of pine species dominance. Biotic factors, especially the basal area of evergreen species (mainly Quercus ilex), were of overriding importance when predicting patterns of seedling occurrence. Potentially important factors such as land use and fire history were of little significance for predicting distribution at the scale of our study. Our models failed to predict accurately which species (and in which numbers) co‐occur with P. halepensis. Factors not included in this study, such as stand age, disturbance (cutting, clearing) and other human‐induced factors, are probably the main determinants of co‐existence patterns.     

Exposure to Metals through the Consumption of Fish and Seafood by the Population Living Near the Ebro River in Catalonia,Spain: Health Risks

The health risks due to metal exposure from consuming various fish and seafood species were assessed for the Catalan population living near the Ebro River (Spain). The concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, mercury, manganese, nickel, and lead were determined in samples of mussel, clam, hake, sole, cuttlefish, sardine, and anchovy randomly acquired in various localities of the zone under evaluation. In general terms, metal concentrations were similar or lower than the levels recently reported in the literature. The current dietary intake of metals is analogous to that recently estimated for the non-exposed population of Catalonia. Metal exposure through fish and seafood consumption would only mean a slight increase of noncarcinogenic and carcinogenic risk for arsenic, whereas the remaining elements showed risk values below the corresponding threshold levels.     

Glyoxalase I polymorphism in Catalonia (Spain)

Blood samples from two Catalonian populations (North-East of Spain) were analysed for glyoxalase (GLO) I polymorphism. Gene frequencies of GLO1 (0.46 and 0.41) are comparable to those reported for Central-European Caucasoid populations.     

Dietary reconstruction from historical information and trace elements analysis in a medieval population from Catalonia (Spain)

The analysis of Trace Elements in bone and its application to the determination of ancient human population's ecology and adaptation is focussed. The Sr/Ca and Zn/Ca indexes of the medieval population of L'Esquerda, (Barcelona, Spain) by time periods are compared with other independent information available for the same site. The results obtained with the Trace Element Analysis greatly agree with what was expected from the historical and archeological information. The results must be considered carefully, though, because of the relatively small sample size involved when dividing the sample into time periods. Nevertheless, the technique used may provide a good ecological and adaptive information of ancient human populations, that can be used for comparing populations from different areas.     

Human Health Risk Assessment for Environmental Exposure to Metals in the Catalan Stretch of the Ebro River,Spain

The aim of this study was to investigate the environmental impact and the human health risks associated with metals exposure in the Catalan stretch of the Ebro River, Spain. The concentrations of the following elements were determined in soils and tap water: As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, and Pb. Carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks were separately assessed for adults and children. Relatively low metal concentrations in tap water were found. It indicates that water intake is not a relevant source of metals for human health impact in the area under evaluation. In turn, the levels of metals in soils were similar or less than those found in a number of recent worldwide surveys. The presence of industrial facilities located upstream the Ebro River, including a chloralkali plant, should not mean additional non-carcinogenic risks for the population living in the area. The results of the current study allow us to establish that the concentrations of most carcinogenic elements (with the exception of As) should not mean potential health risks for the local population. However, because of the relatively high levels of geological origin found for As, a continued monitoring of these elements would be desirable.     

Contribution of early detection and adjuvant treatments to breast cancer mortality reduction in Catalonia, Spain

Background

Reductions in breast cancer (BC) mortality in Western countries have been attributed to the use of screening mammography and adjuvant treatments. The goal of this work was to analyze the contributions of both interventions to the decrease in BC mortality between 1975 and 2008 in Catalonia.

Methodology/Principal Findings

A stochastic model was used to quantify the contribution of each intervention. Age standardized BC mortality rates for calendar years 1975–2008 were estimated in four hypothetical scenarios: 1) Only screening, 2) Only adjuvant treatment, 3) Both interventions, and 4) No intervention. For the 30–69 age group, observed Catalan BC mortality rates per 100,000 women-year rose from 29.4 in 1975 to 38.3 in 1993, and afterwards continuously decreased to 23.2 in 2008. If neither of the two interventions had been used, in 2008 the estimated BC mortality would have been 43.5, which, compared to the observed BC mortality rate, indicates a 46.7% reduction. In 2008 the reduction attributable to screening was 20.4%, to adjuvant treatments was 15.8% and to both interventions 34.1%.

Conclusions/Significance

Screening and adjuvant treatments similarly contributed to reducing BC mortality in Catalonia. Mathematical models have been useful to assess the impact of interventions addressed to reduce BC mortality that occurred over nearly the same periods.     

Dietary Exposure to Lead and Cadmium in Yugoslavia

Abstract

Lead exposure still represents a matter of health concern especially in Yugoslavia. To assess the exposure of normal urban population to lead and cadmium through food, a preliminary monitoring was performed on a small group of urban population. Lead, cadmium and some essential elements (calcium, zinc, iron, copper and manganese) were analysed in collected duplicate diet samples and compared to similar population in Sweden. We found that dietary exposure to lead and cadmium is similar to other countries although Yugoslav urban population is exposed to much higher concentrations of lead in air than in cities of developed countries, due to high lead in gasoline. However, daily intake of some essential elements was significantly lower.

Also populations living around lead smelters in various parts of Yugoslavia are still exposed to elevated environmental lead and cadmium levels. To assess the exposure of the population living in this area, a cumulative long-term exposure to lead was determined by measuring lead in deciduous teeth. Concentrations of lead and cadmium in vegetables, soil and meals from the same region were also analysed. Values obtained for lead and cadmium in food products grown in exposed and control area were found to be related to respective concentrations of these elements in soil as well as to the distance from the smelter. Meals prepared in this region show the same trend, revealing very high intake particularly of lead.

The influence of nutritional factors, i.e. dietary calcium on lead metabolism, was also studied. Blood lead concentration was determined in two groups of peasant women living in two regions with different dietary calcium intake. Lower blood lead values were found in the higher dietary calcium intake region.     

Dietary Exposure to Lead and Cadmium in Sweden

Abstract

A duplicate diet study on male and female pensioners in 1970–71 showed mean daily dietary lead intakes of 30 μg and 19 μg respectively. The corresponding cadmium intakes were 10.5μg and 12.9 μg. Analysis of duplicate diets collected during seven consecutive 24-hour periods from 15 women in Stockholm in 1988 showed a mean daily lead intake of 26 μg (range 13–40 μg). The corresponding cadmium intake was 8.5μg (range 5.7–14 μg). Analysis of faeces samples corresponding to the duplicate diets showed similar lead and cadmium contents (mean lead content 24 μg day^?1, range 10–41 μg day^?1; mean cadmium content 8.9 μg day^?1 range 5.5–12 μg day^?1). The median lead and cadmium concentrations in human milk collected in Uppsala were 2 μg kg^?1 and 0.1 mg kg^?1 respectively. The median weekly intakes of lead and cadmium by the breast-fed infants were calculated to be 2 μg kg^?1 body weight and 0.1 μg kg^?1 body weight. Analysis of seven daily diets, together representing the weekly diet of an adult Swedish male, showed a mean lead content of 26 μg (range 15–45 μg), and a mean cadmium content of 10 μg (range 7–15 μg). The mean daily intakes of lead and cadmium found by analysing market baskets prepared in 1987 were 17μg and 12μg respectively. Calculations based on food balance sheet data and levels of lead and cadmium in individual foods showed mean daily intakes of 30 μg lead and 14 μg cadmium per person.     

Dietary Intake of Metals by the Population of Tarragona County (Catalonia,Spain): Results from a Duplicate Diet Study

The daily intakes of arsenic (As), beryllium, cadmium (Cd), cobalt, chromium, copper, mercury (Hg), manganese, nickel, lead (Pb), antimony, tin, thallium, uranium, vanadium, and zinc by an adult population living in Tarragona County (Catalonia, Spain) were determined by the duplicate diet method with a 10-day sampling period. Duplicate diet samples, prepared as per consumption, were collected during September 2010 in 20 restaurants offering a variety of daily menus (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). A total of 200 composite samples, corresponding to 600 individual samples, were prepared for trace elements analyses, which were carried out by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The results were compared with data from previous total diet studies (TDS) recently performed in the same geographical area. Notable differences in the intake of the toxic elements As, Cd, Hg, and Pb were found depending on the method used. It is concluded that both the duplicate diet method and the TDS may provide important and useful information to estimate human exposure to metals through the diet and their derived health risks. However, for comparison between surveys or for establishing temporal trends in the intake of metals, it seems to be recommendable to use always the same method. Notwithstanding, if the interest is only to know whether the intake of a certain element is below the tolerable intake, both methods are useful.     

Eocene siliceous sponges from the Ebro Basin (Catalonia, Spain)

The Eocene (Bartonian) marls of the La Guixa Member and Gurb Member, Vic Marls Formation (Ebro Basin, Catalonia, Spain), contain a very rich and diversified siliceous sponge fauna. The fauna is dominated by hexactinellids; lithistids and other demosponges are rare. It consists of 16 species representing 16 genera. Eleven new species and two new genera are proposed for these sponges: Reguantella cavernosa nov. gen. nov. sp., Regadrella concinna nov. sp. (both Hexactinellida, Lyssacinosa), Eurete clava nov. sp., Pleuroguettardia iberica nov. sp., Aphrocallistes almeriae nov. sp., Hexactinella informis nov. sp. (all Hexactinellida, Hexactinosa), Brachiolites munterensis nov. sp., Centrosia viquensis nov. sp., Callicylix eocenicus nov. sp., Rhizocheton robustus nov. sp. (all Hexactinellida, Lychniscosa), Propetrosia pristina nov. gen. nov. sp. (Demospongia, Haplosclerida). Some genera of sponges in this fauna are still extant, but, in general, the predominant ones are very close in morphology, and, without doubt, closely related to the Late Cretaceous sponges. This fauna also differs considerably, in terms of composition, from most other described faunas of Tertiary sponges from the Mediterranean region, which are dominated by lithistid sponges. Lithistid sponges are rare in this investigated assemblage, which seems most similar to an as yet undescribed Eocene fauna from Italy. There is ecological differentiation in the proportions of particular sponges in various outcrops and/or stratigraphical levels that is clearly associated with water-depth-related controlling factor(s): Munter, Tona and Sta. Cecilia represent the deepest facies, Gurb is intermediate, and St. Roc and Vespella are the most shallow. The exact bathymetric position of the sponge fauna is difficult to estimate, but it seems that 100 m (but probably 200 m and more in the case of the deepest parts) of water depth may be inferred for this facies.     

Microbial parasites associated with Tylenchulus semipenetrans in citrus orchards of Catalonia,Spain

Citrus orchards in Catalonia, Spain were surveyed to identify microbial parasites of Tylenchulus semipenetrans, and their distribution and density. Of 62 orchards, 48 were positively infested with the citrus nematode. Fungal strains were isolated from single eggs, females or second-stage juveniles of the citrus nematode in 69% of the infested orchards. The fungi identified in order of occurrence were Paecilomyces lilacinus, Fusarium solani, Fusarium spp., Cylindrocarpon cylindroides, Verticillium fungicola, Cladosporium cladosporioides, F. oxysporum, Veronaea botryosa, Sepedonium chrysospermum, Volutella ciliata, Exophiala pisciphila and Acremonium sp. Fungal parasitism was related directly to the number of females g^?1 of root and magnesium in the soil, and inversely, to the number of eggs g^?1 of root and phosphorus in the soil (R ²=0.8654; P<0.0001). Nematode trapping fungi were isolated from soil samples in 29% of the orchards, and Monacrosporium elegans, Arthrobotrys dactyloides, A. javanica, A. superba and A. oligospora var. microspora, were the species present. Endospores of the hyperparasite Pasteuria adhering to vermiform stages of T. semipenetrans were found in 50% of the orchards infested with the citrus nematode.     

Assessing Risks of Plant-Based Pharmaceuticals: I. Human Dietary Exposure

Protein-based drugs are the fastest growing class of drugs for the treatment of disease in humans and other animals. However, the current method of producing proteins for pharmaceutical application is predicted to fall short because of population growth and demographic trends. This study characterized human dietary risks using quantitative risk assessment techniques for three pharmaceutical proteins produced in field-grown maize. The three proteins were aprotinin, gastric lipase, and Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin B subunit (LT-B). The human dietary risks from the three proteins inadvertently occurring in food were evaluated using three different exposure scenarios so that potential risks could be compared. The three exposure scenarios ranged in conservatism to evaluate the range of risk between the proteins and scenarios. Risk quotients (RQs) were calculated for all three scenarios to integrate exposure and effect (toxicity). The risk assessments revealed that the most conservative scenario produced higher RQs than the other two scenarios. The dietary risks from scenario 1 for aprotinin were three orders of magnitude greater than for scenario 2, and four orders of magnitude greater than for scenario 3. This risk assessment revealed that dietary risks will vary dramatically and depend on factors such as the specific pharmaceutical protein, protein expression, and exposure scenarios. The assessment also reinforced the need for case-by-case assessments.     

Dicyphus tamaninii as a beneficial insect and pest in tomato crops in Catalonia,Spain

The mirid bugDicyphus tamaninii Wagner, is common in Catalonia in vegetable crops which have not been sprayed with insecticide. To study the feeding habits of this bug in tomato crops, several treated and untreated tomato plots were set up at Cabrils Experimental Station (North of Barcelona) during 1983, 1984 and 1985. The results indicate thatTrialeurodes vaporariorum Westwood populations are greatly affected by the mirid bug when no, or only a few, insecticide sprays are applied. However, the bug heavily damaged tomato fruits in unsprayed plots, where bug numbers were high and whitefly numbers low. It seems that tomato fruit is only preferred when whitefly numbers are extremely low. Similar results were obtained in 1984 in a preliminary experiment using cages to exclude the bug.