title: A systematic review on food lead concentration and dietary lead exposure in China.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  By synthesizing results from primary studies, systematic review can provide empirical information of concerned problems. This study aimed to review the available surveillance data from studies reporting the contamination surveillance of food lead in China.
  
  
  METHODS
  Relevant studies were identified by systematically searching Chinese Biological Medicine Database and China National Knowledge Infrastructure using the key term of "lead" for surveillance data published in Chinese between 2006 and 2012. To avoid potential selection bias, all articles were evaluated by two independent reviewers, and the disagreements were resolved by discussion or the third author was asked to arbitrate.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 269 identified publications on surveillance data of lead in food, 43 articles met the defined inclusion criteria. The food samples were divided into 11 groups (cereal grains and pulses, fish, eggs, vegetables, meat, edible fungi, milk and dairy products, fruits, offal, tea and preserved egg). Surveillance data of publications were reviewed to calculate the weighted mean and rate exceeding maximum levels. Our results indicated that the highest lead concentration was 1.937 mg/kg in tea. The total percentage of samples exceeding the maximum levels was 5.57%. Dietary exposure to lead was assessed by combining the weighted mean concentration of surveillance data with national consumption data in 2002. In this review, dietary intake of lead was 1.232 µg/kg b.w./day.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Further control measures should be taken to reduce exposure to lead, from both dietary and non-dietary sources.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine Engineering of Ministry of Education, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, China.
authors.forename: Yingliang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine Engineering of Ministry of Education, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, China.
authors.forename: Pei
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment, Beijing 100017, China. Email: liupeiseu@126.com.
authors.forename: Yongning
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine Engineering of Ministry of Education, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, China.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Min
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine Engineering of Ministry of Education, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, China.
authors.forename: Cannan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine Engineering of Ministry of Education, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, China.
authors.forename: Jinfang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine Engineering of Ministry of Education, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, China.
authors.forename: Yafei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007854:Lead / Q000032:analysis*; D018570:Risk Assessment
chemical_list: D007854:Lead