Hygienic assessment to identify absence of harm to adults in a western Siberia region when nickel is introduced with foods

Abstract

In this study, nickel intake with foods was estimated in adults living in the Omsk region. The estimation was based on analyzing how frequently variable foods were consumed by a representative sample (n = 421, 2020). The median of average daily nickel intake with foods equaled 0.13 mg/day (0.100; 0.179). The level between 0.088 and 0.196 mg/day was suggested as a statistical standard of nickel intake with foods for adults living in Western Siberia. We did not establish any significant differences in nickel intake with foods between men and women and between all the age groups. In all the analyzed age groups, a major contribution to nickel intake with foods was made by vegetables (29.1 %), fruits (16.3 %), and drinks (16.9 %). As for specific food products, we identified several major sources of the metal including tea (20.8 %), fresh apples (13.9 %), chocolate bars and chocolate sweets (11.8 %), and fresh tomatoes (9.7 %). We established significant differences in the structure of nickel intake with foods among the analyzed population in the Omsk region and people living in the central Europe. In the Omsk region, a much greater contribution was made by plant-based foods (65.0 % in the Omsk region and 49.0 % in the central Europe) and contributions made by drinks and animal-based foods were substantially lower. These results highlight the necessity to investigate specific regional diets to identify risk groups and territories with elevated health risks. Nickel intake with foods was considered tentative optimal for the analyzed population.