Tiantian Lou
,
Weisu Huang
,
Xiaodan Wu
,
Mengmeng Wang
,
Liying Zhou
,
Baiyi Lu
,
Lufei Zheng
,
Yinzhou Hu
ABSTRACT
Sulfur dioxide residues in 20 kinds of fresh or dried fruits and vegetables collected from 23 provinces of China (Jilin, Beijing, Shanxi, Shandong, Henan, Hebei, Jiangsu, Anhui, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, Hunan, Hubei, Chongqing, Sichuan, Gansu, Neimenggu, Xinjiang, Hainan) were analyzed, and a health risk assessment was performed. The detection rates of sulfur dioxide residues in fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, dried vegetables and dried fruits were 11.1%～95.9%, 12.6%～92.3%, 70.3%～80.0% and 26.0%～100.0%, respectively; the mean concentrations of residues were in the ranges of 2.7～120.8 mg/kg, 3.8～35.7 mg/kg, 26.9～99.1 mg/kg and 12.0～1120.4 mg/kg, respectively; the residues exceeding maximum residue limits (MRLs) amounted to 20.4%, 8.0%, 4.0% and 2.5% in four categories of products, respectively. The results indicated that fresh vegetables and dried products were critical products. Data obtained were then used for evaluating dietary exposure and health risk based on Monte Carlo simulations, which indicated that the estimated daily intakes (EDIs) of children (2～10 year-old) were higher than others by intake; four categories of products and fresh vegetables were the main sources. The estimated hazard indexes (HI) of sulfur dioxide for all consumers by intake amounted to 0.019～0.033, 0.001～0.005, 0.007～0.016 and 0.002～0.005 at P50, respectively, which indicated no risk existed on average for any group. But the estimated HI was far more than 1 at P99 by intake for dried fruits and vegetables. Although the health risk for consumers in all groups was acceptable on the whole, children were the most vulnerable group, which requires further attention. Uncertainty and sensitivity analyses indicated that level of sulfur dioxide residues was the most influential variable in this model. Thus, a comprehensive dietary survey is recommended, with continuous monitoring and stricter regulation of sulfites used in fresh or dried fruits and vegetables across the whole of China.