Long-term dietary exposure to lead in young children living in different European countries. Scientific report submitted to EFSA

Long-term dietary exposure to lead in children aged 1 up to 14 years living in 12 different European countries was estimated using daily food consumption patterns and mean lead concentrations in various food commodities. Food consumption data were all categorised according to a harmonised system to allow for linkage with lead concentration data in a standardised way. Two different models were used for the calculations: the beta-binomial-normal (BBN) model and the observed individual means (OIM) model. For both models the lower bound exposure ranged from 0.4 to 1.7 µg/kg bw per day for median consumers. For 99th percentile consumers however the exposure differed between the two models with a lower bound exposure ranging from 0.7 to 4.1 µg/kg bw per day with the BBN model and 0.9 to 7.9 µg/kg bw per day with the OIM model. Upper bound exposures were on average a factor 1.8 higher for both models. Exposures on a body weight basis were higher in younger compared to older children. To assess the long-term exposure to lead in European children, a model, such as the BBN model, that corrects for the within-person variation is the preferred method to be used. The OIM method results in an overestimation of the percentage of the population exceeding a provisional tolerable weekly intake which is of relevance for risk management decisions.