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Arsenic concentration in rice, fish, meat and vegetables in Cambodia: a preliminary risk assessment

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Abstract

To assess arsenic contaminations and its possible adverse health effects, food samples were collected from Kandal, Kratie and Kampong Cham in Cambodia. The highest and the lowest concentrations were observed in fish (mean 2,832 ng g−1, ww) collected from Kandal province and cattle stomach (1.86 ± 1.10 ng g−1, ww) collected from Kratie, respectively. The daily intake of arsenic via food consumption was 604, 9.70 and 136 μg day−1 in Kandal, Kratie and Kampong Cham, respectively. The arsenic dietary intake in Kandal ranked No. 1 among all the 17 compared countries or regions. Fish consumption contributed the greatest proportion of total arsenic daily intake in Kandal (about 63.0 %) and Kampong Cham (about 69.8 %). It is revealed to be a much more important exposure pathway than drinking water for residents in Kampong Cham. The results of risk assessment suggested that the residents in Cambodia, particularly for people in Kandal province, suffer high public health risks due to consuming arsenic-contaminated food.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 31101071), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No. 2012M511868), the Research Grants Council of the University Grants Committee of Hong Kong (Collaborative Research Fund, HKBU1/CRF/08 and Special Equipment Grant, HKBU09) and the Mini-AOE (Area of Excellence) Fund from Hong Kong Baptist University. The authors thank International Environmental Research Center, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Republic of Korea, United Nations University-International Institute for Global Health, Malaysia, Mr. Kongkea Phan, Dr. H. M. Leung and Mr. K. W. Chan for technical assistance.

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Wang, HS., Sthiannopkao, S., Chen, ZJ. et al. Arsenic concentration in rice, fish, meat and vegetables in Cambodia: a preliminary risk assessment. Environ Geochem Health 35, 745–755 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-013-9532-0

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