Influence of diet in urinary levels of metals in a biomonitoring study of a child population of the Valencian region (Spain).

Pollution by trace elements and its possible effect on organisms has become a worldwide concern due to the increasing presence of trace elements in the environment and especially in the food chain. Exposure to chemicals has traditionally been measured using environmental samples, however, human biomonitoring brings a different perspective, in which all sources and exposure pathways are integrated. The objective of this paper is to discern the possible relationship between children's diet and the metals found in children urine. With this aim in mind, a total of 120 voluntaries participated in a diet survey carried out in a school-aged population (age 6-11) from the Valencian region. In addition, twenty trace elements were analysed in children urine (arsenic, antimony, barium, beryllium, caesium, cadmium, cobalt, copper, lead, manganese, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, platinum, selenium, thallium, thorium, uranium, vanadium and zinc). Results permitted to compare metal levels in urine with metal levels of other biomonitoring studies to conclude that values, including ours, were similar in most studies. On the other hand, children who ate more vegetables had the highest values in cadmium, copper, molybdenum, antimony, thallium, vanadium, and zinc, while those who ate more fish reached higher values in mercury. Finally, children who ate more cereals and baked products had higher values in total arsenic.