Cadmium Dietary Exposure Assessment in Adult Population and Preschool Children in the Republic of Serbia

Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic metal, present in all matrices of the environment. Cadmium is a common food contaminant and human exposure to it may elicit many diverse health impairments.The aim of this study was to assess the dietary exposure to Cd for the adult population and preschool children in Serbia using the probabilistic methodology. We have measured Cd content in 11,227 food samples belonging to 50 food groups available on the Serbian market. Cadmium was detected in 90% of the tested food groups, and in 31% of the total samples. Food groups that contributed the most to total dietary Cd intake were potatoes in the adult population, and fruit and vegetable juices in children. Consumption data were taken from the GEMS/Food Consumption Cluster Diets database Calculated HI values showed that 54.4% of the adult population and 84.4% of the population of preschool children were under the unacceptable risk of Cd exposure. The results of this study are based on a worst-case scenario. Thus, they are rather preliminary and should be considered as an indication of the need for further, more refined input data, particularly in terms of consumption database, which would altogether contribute to the more realistic risk assessment as a high priority approach, especially in the case of the vulnerable subpopulations such as children.