Consumption of Meats and Fish in Poland during the COVID-19 Lockdown Period.

The COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions have significantly impacted the quality of life of society in many countries in various aspects. The purpose of this study was to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the consumption of meat and fish in society in Poland as well as the factors that determined these changes. The cross-sectional study was conducted using an original online questionnaire between 8th and 18th of April 2020. The subjects were selected randomly. The target population were adults living in Poland. The inclusion criterion for the study was the age of at least 18 years and consent to selfless participation in the study. Communication via social media such as Facebook or Instagram was used to enroll more participants from different socio-demographic subgroups. The questionnaire was divided into two parts-the first part contained questions about sex, age, body mass, body height, residence, level of education, and occupation, and the second part consisted of specific questions about the consumption frequency of different kinds of meat during the COVID-19 lockdown period (in comparison to the time before the pandemic). A total of 3888 people took part in the study including 84.54% women, with an average age of 30.17 ± 9.22 years. The frequency of poultry consumption increased, while for pork, beef, ham and other meat products as well as fish and seafood it declined. The factors that influenced the change in dietary patterns during the lockdown related to the COVID-19 pandemic included age, body mass index, gender, place of residence, and type of work performed. However, no relationship was found between the change in meat and fish consumption during the pandemic and the level of education and form of employment during the pandemic.

Teeth as an Indicator of the Environmental Exposure of Silesia Province's Inhabitants in Poland to Metallic Trace Elements.

(1) Background: The elemental composition of teeth can provide an estimate of environmental exposure to heavy metals. The aim of this study was to analyze the possibility of using teeth in the biomonitoring of environmental exposure to heavy metals as an indicator of contaminants present in the human residential environment. (2) Methods: The research materials were 110 samples of extracted teeth. The samples were taken from people living in three areas in the province of Silesia. The concentrations of cadmium, lead, and mercury in the samples were determined. (3) Results: The results of the chemical analysis of the collected samples showed a significant variation in the concentrations of heavy metals (Cd, Pb, and Hg) in the analyzed teeth. Furthermore, the mean concentrations of the analyzed heavy metals in the teeth varied according to the patient's place of residence, the type of tooth analyzed, the presence of caries in the patient, and the smoking or non-smoking status of the patient. (4) Conclusions: The results of the chemical analysis of the teeth of inhabitants of three cities in the most polluted region of Poland indicate that they can be used as an indicator of environmental exposure to cadmium, lead, and mercury.

Health risks from consumption of medicinal plant dietary supplements.

The aim of this study was to determine the heavy metal contents of dietary supplements manufactured from medicinal plants and assess the potential daily burden on their consumers. The study consisted of 41 dietary supplements produced from terrestrial plants or microalgae. The analysis of cadmium, lead, and mercury content was performed using analytical methods. The content of Cd and Pb was determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The mercury content was determined using atomic absorption spectrometry with the generation of cold mercury vapor (CVAAS). The presence of at least one of the three analyzed heavy metals was found in 79.2% samples of supplements produced from terrestrial plants and in 88.2% supplement samples produced from microalgae. Hazard quotient was used to calculate noncarcinogenic risk for humans by ingestion of dietary supplements containing heavy metals. From among all supplements, 68.3% of samples were contaminated with Cd and Pb (this does not always apply to the same samples) and 29.3% of samples were contaminated with Hg. The health risk assessment of consumers of dietary supplements showed, in an extreme case, that taking this supplement for only one week poses a health risk associated with exposure to Pb. The health risk associated with the intake of dietary supplements primarily depends on the duration of consumption.

Risk of cadmium, lead and zinc exposure from consumption of vegetables produced in areas with mining and smelting past.

The study reveals links between disturbed geochemical environment being the result of mining and smelting activities with consumers exposure to toxic and carcinogenic metallic trace elements (MTEs). This study focused on evaluation on vegetable and soil pollution in family allotment gardens (FAGs), considering in the aspects of consumer exposure to cadmium, lead and zinc. Study material consisted of 219 soil samples from FAGs located in one of the most polluted areas in Poland, and 64 samples of edible plants. Contents of analyzed MTEs in topsoil in the studied area were spatially diversified and depended primarily on the location of industrial pollution sources. The average content of cadmium (0.52 mg kg-1 fresh weight) and lead (0.57 mg kg-1 fresh weight) in vegetables exceeded maximum permissible concentrations according to the European Quality Standards. Human health risk assessment was based on three scenarios of dietary exposure to cadmium, lead and zinc. In every scenario the highest average daily dose for all three elements was estimated for potatoes which are one of the main components of Poles' diet. Presented study showed that consumption of vegetables cultivated in FAGs located in Silesia Province may pose a significant health risk for their consumers.

A risk assessment of dietary exposure to ochratoxin A for the Polish population.

The aim of this study was to determine the content of ochratoxin A (OTA) using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in selected food products, in the aspect of consumer health hazards. In the study 473 samples of food products, available on the Silesia market in Poland, were analyzed. For the determination of ochratoxin A in food, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection was used. Almost 22% of the samples were contaminated with ochratoxin A. The highest concentration of OTA was determined in raisins (34.0 µg/kg), which exceeds the permissible level 3.5 times. In one of the analyzed rye flour samples ochratoxin A was determined at level 19.5 µg/kg, where the maximum level is 3 µg/kg. For the general population, there is a risk of exposure to ochratoxin A from food, which justifies the need to monitor the quality of products for mycotoxin contamination.

PCDDs, PCDFs and PCBs in locally produced foods as health risk factors in Silesia Province, Poland.

Dioxins (PCDDs), furans (PCDFs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) emitted into the environment can accumulate in foods and become a significant source of dietary exposure for consumers of these compounds. This study aims to assess the dietary exposure of the residents in a rural area of the Silesia region in southern Poland to PCDDs, PCDFs and PCBs. The goal is to estimate cancer and non-cancer health risks due to the consumption of foods of animal origin. The area has relatively higher concentration of PCDDs, PCDFs and PCBs in the air in comparison to large industrialized cities of the Silesia province. Three popular foods of animal origin, namely free-range chicken meat, free-range chicken eggs, and cow milk produced in the farms were used. The control samples were the same foods from the local grocery stores. Two exposure scenarios were considered: Firstly that residents consumed free-range foods and secondly that the food items were purchased from stores in the study area. In the first scenario, exposure to concentrations of PCDDs, PCDFs, and dioxin-like PCBs (dl-PCBs) yielded evidence of elevated cancer and non-cancer risks. The hazard quotient (HQ) was 71.3 for non-cancer risk and 7.5 × 10-3 for cancer risk. The health risk from exposure to PCDDs, PCDFs and dl-PCBs in the second scenario was 6.9 × 10-4 and HQ = 0.8, respectively. Implementation of educational activities in the study area is needed to increase the resident's awareness of the risks associated with the emissions of chlorinated persistent organic pollutants to the environment, including aspects such as the main sources of the emission and how to avoid exposure to these compounds.

The relationship between children's non-nutrient exposure to cadmium, lead and zinc and the location of recreational areas - Based on the Upper Silesia region case (Poland).

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the study was to identify the places that could pose a threat to children's health due to the significant concentration of heavy metals in the top layer of soil on which they actively spend their time. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The research material consisted of 144 topsoil samples from 10 randomly selected playgrounds and 10 sports fields located in two cities in Poland. The content of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) in the analyzed samples was determined by atomic absorption using the INTEGRA XL ICP spectrometer with inductively coupled plasma. RESULTS: From the 144 collected soil samples 48 (33%) exceeded the normative value for at least one of the three analyzed heavy metals. The maximum permissible concentration of all three elements was exceeded in the case of 15 samples. The heavy metals concentrations determined in the soil samples taken from the sports fields and playgrounds were in the following ranges, respectively: 0.3-43.0 mg/kg d. w. - Cd; 1.3-1393.8 mg/kg d. w.- Pb; 12.5-4315.8 mg/kg d. w. - Zn. Estimated children's exposure to heavy metals (Cd and Pb) via non-nutrient route indicates a significant risk which can be a place of recreation of the youngest children, as a result of secondary dusting during activity and games. CONCLUSIONS: In one-third of the analyzed soil samples from playgrounds and sport fields significant contamination with heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Zn) was indicated. In extreme cases, the maximum permissible concentration was exceeded over 20-fold, constituting an important risk factor for children's health.

Is the soil quality monitoring an effective tool in consumers' protection of agricultural crops from cadmium soil contamination?-a case of the Silesia region (Poland).

The monitoring of soil quality should be a control tool used to reduce the adverse health effects arising from exposure to toxic chemicals in soil through cultivated crop absorption. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the monitoring and control system of soil quality in Poland, in terms of consumer safety, for agricultural plants cultivated in areas with known serious cadmium contamination, such as Silesia Province. To achieve the objective, the contents of cadmium in soils and vegetables in the Silesia administrative area were examined. The obtained results were compared with the results of soil contamination from the quality monitoring of arable soil in Poland. The studies show a significant exceedance of the permissible values of cadmium in soil samples and the vegetables cultivated on that soil. The threat to consumer health is a valid concern, although this threat was not indicated by the results of the national monitoring of soil quality. The results indicated an unequal distribution of risk to consumers resulting from contaminated soil. Moreover, the monitoring systems should be designed at the local or regional scale to guarantee the safety of consumers of edible plants cultivated in the areas contaminated with cadmium.

Preliminary study of possible relationships between exposure to PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs in ambient air and the length of life of people.

There is a lack of studies on the impact of very toxic and persistent organic compounds as polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) on the population life expectancy. Preliminary studies on the relations between exposure to PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs in ambient air and the length of life of residents of 12 cities (2 million people) in the Silesia province has been undertaken. The average length of life of inhabitants in 12 cities of Silesia province was calculated on the basis of register of deaths after excluding deaths caused by external causes and the concentration of PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs were measured. The studies have shown that inhalation exposure to dioxins, furans and dl-PCBs could be an important factor which may shorten the life expectancy of the population. The results of preliminary studies indicate a strong correlation between the concentration of PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs in the ambient air and the length of life of women. The conducted analysis of the regression shows that reduction of chlorinated persistent organic compounds of 10fg I-TEQ/m3 could extend life expectancy of women by approximately 4months (0.3years).

Cadmium in edible plants from Silesia, Poland, and its implications for health risk in populations.

The health risk associated with cadmium exposure through consumption of edible plants cultivated in different parts of the Silesia administration area inhabitants has been estimated. The impact of the arable soils acidity on the BCF (bioconcentration factor) has been also analyzed. The concentration of cadmium in arable soils and in 118 samples of vegetables - carrots, beets, potato, celery (tuber), parsley (root) were determined. The cadmium content in examined soil samples were in the range from >0.5-68.5mgkg-1 d.w. The most contaminated samples, above the maximum permissible concentration, originated from the central part of the region. The highest BCF value in case of parsley roots and carrots has been shown (0.941 and 0.828 respectively). Significant correlation between soil pH and BCF in examined edible plants has been demonstrated. In the exposure scenario, which assumes the consumption of the most contaminated vegetables from Silesia administration area, the value of the hazard quotient (HQ) for Cd was 2.56. On the contaminated arable soils from the central part of Silesia administration area the non-edible plants should be cultivated. In case of acidic and slightly acidic pH-range of arable soils, some methods of metals immobilization in soil are recommended e.g. liming.

Long-term exposure to urban air pollution and the relationship with life expectancy in cohort of 3.5 million people in Silesia.

Air pollution is considered to be one of the most important environmental health determinants. The studies constitute an attempt to explain the role of air pollutants in the impact on the length of life of the 3.5 million people living in the cities of the Silesia province in Poland. The association between the long-term inhalation exposure to PM10, benzo(a)pyrene, cadmium and lead in the period from 1989 to 2008 and length of life in the year 2014 of the inhabitants of 19 cities of the Silesia province has been estimated. The Pearson linear regression method was applied to calculate the relation between exposure to specific pollutants and length of life. In order to determine the influence of the mixture of the pollutants the multiple regression analysis was carried out. The studies have confirmed the significant correlations between the chronic exposure of Silesia province residents to PM10 and benzo(a)pyrene and their length of life. The stronger correlation was demonstrated in case of the long-term exposure to the mixture of examined air pollutants. Differentiated exposure of the inhabitants of the Silesia province to air pollutants results in existing inequalities in the life expectancy of men and women among the cities.