Metals, pesticides, and mycotoxins oral exposure via potato chips ingestion: A Monte Carlo-simulation risk assessment for Iranian consumers.
This Monte Carlo risk assessment reports modeled moderate non-carcinogenic risk and elevated calculated carcinogenic risk for several contaminants from potato-chip consumption, with children generally showing greater concern than adults.
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This Monte Carlo risk assessment reports modeled moderate non-carcinogenic risk and elevated calculated carcinogenic risk for several contaminants from potato-chip consumption, with children generally showing greater concern than adults.
Research significance
The record supports a food-safety prevention hypothesis—not a treatment hypothesis—that reducing metals, pesticides, and mycotoxins in potato chips could lower children's dietary exposure and modeled long-term cancer risk; whether such mitigation reduces actual cancer incidence is untested.
Source abstract
This study assesses the risk associated with oral exposure to metals, pesticides, and mycotoxins through the consumption of potato chips among Iranian consumers using Monte Carlo simulation. At the 50th, 80th, and 90th centiles, the calculated non-carcinogenic Hazard Index (HI) indicated no evident risk for adults but a moderate risk for children concerning oral exposure to these substances. Under carcinogenic scenario, for adults, the mean Incremental Life Time Cancer Risk (ILCR) for arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) at these centiles exceeded 10-4, indicating potential regulatory concerns under conservative assumptions. Conversely, the mean ILCRs for nickel (Ni) ranged between 10-6 and 10-4 and for lead (Pb) were less than 10-6, falling within an acceptable range. For children, the mean ILCRs at these centiles for As, Cd, and Ni, also surpassed 10-4, reflecting potential regulatory concerns. The mean ILCR associated with lead exposure in children was comparable to those identified for adults. For both adults and children, the HI values associated with pesticides exposure at these centiles were indicative of a moderate risk. Importantly, the percentage of Tolerable Daily Intakes (TDIs) for mycotoxins oral exposure for both adults and children reached intolerable levels. Furthermore, with respect to the carcinogenic risks posed by aflatoxins (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, and AFG2), a significantly elevated cumulative risk for children was calculated in comparison to adults. Stringent measures need to be implemented to mitigate the occurrence of the identified contaminants in potato chips, to reduce the oral exposure and potential risk associated, particularly given the widespread consumption of this popular snack by children.