Determination of total arsenic levels by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry in foods from south-east Spain: estimation of daily dietary intake.
The total concentration of arsenic in different foods from south-east Spain was determined by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry. Mineralization was carried out with an HNO(3)-HClO(4) mixture in a thermostated sand bath. Arsenic determination was performed by the standard addition method. Analyses of NIST and CBR-CEC reference materials demonstrated the reliability and accuracy of the technique. The highest arsenic levels were found in seafood, cereals, meat and meat by-products. In meat and meat by-products, the total arsenic measured in meat was significantly higher than that in sausages (p<0.05). In cereals, arsenic concentrations in corn and white rice samples were significantly higher (p<0.01) than those measured in wheat by-products. Mean arsenic concentrations in cheese were statistically lower than those in other dairy products (p<0.01). New data have been provided on the total arsenic content of a variety of foods in Spain, which is important for making exposure estimates. The estimated daily intake of total arsenic in the Spanish diet was 221 microg As day(-1).
Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
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Delgado-Andrade
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Navarro
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López
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MC
López
D001151:Arsenic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000032:analysis*; D004032:Diet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005504:Food Analysis / Q000379:methods; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013030:Spain; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic / Q000379:methods
D001151:Arsenic