Lim et al. 2015 — Korean KRIEFS: nationwide dietary exposure to Pb, Cd, and Hg
The Korean Research Project on the Integrated Exposure Assessment of Hazardous Substances for Food Safety (KRIEFS), initiated in 2010 by the National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation, was the first nationwide integrated dietary exposure assessment in Korea covering all ages. This paper presents the survey design and results for lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg) in 4,867 subjects across 15 metropolitan areas and provinces. The highest Pb and Cd concentrations (median values) were found in seaweed (Pb 94.2 µg/kg, Cd 594 µg/kg); the highest Hg was in fish (46.4 µg/kg). Dietary exposure (median) was 0.14 µg/kg bw/day for Pb, 0.18 µg/kg bw/day for Cd, and 0.07 µg/kg bw/day for Hg. Blood Hg levels and dietary Hg exposure were both higher in Korea than in the EU reference populations, attributed to higher fish consumption.
Key numbers
Sample: n=4,867, all ages, nationwide. Food concentrations (median): seaweed Pb 94.2 µg/kg, seaweed Cd 594 µg/kg, fish Hg 46.4 µg/kg. Dietary exposure (median): Pb 0.14 µg/kg bw/day, Cd 0.18 µg/kg bw/day, Hg 0.07 µg/kg bw/day. Biomonitoring results: 99.0% of subjects had blood Pb < 5.00 µg/dL (CDC reference value for ages 1-5); 24.5% had blood Cd < 0.30 µg/L (German reference for non-smoking children); 81.0% had blood Hg < 5.00 µg/L (German HBM-I value for children and adults). Blood Hg levels and dietary Hg exposure were higher than EU levels. Methods: food survey, dietary survey (24-hour recall), biomonitoring, and health survey; food and dietary contaminant data from 2010-2011.
Methods (brief)
Stratified nationwide probability sampling; composite sampling design by region, urbanization, and household. Food consumption data from 24-hour dietary recall. Heavy metal concentrations in food measured by ICP-MS. Blood and urine biomonitoring for Pb, Cd, and Hg. Ethics: approved by Dankook University Hospital (KUHIRB2010-04-0093, DKUHI RB2011-03-0086).
Implications
Certification: provides Korean-population dietary exposure reference values for Pb, Cd, and Hg; seaweed is a notable high-Cd matrix (594 µg/kg median) relevant to seaweed-containing products.
Courses: exemplary case for integrated dietary exposure assessment methodology linking food contamination data with biomonitoring; illustrates population-level ethnic dietary pattern effects on metal exposure (higher fish consumption → higher Hg).
App: cadmium in seaweed (594 µg/kg median) is directly relevant to ingredient-level contamination profiles.