ArticleEFSA journal. European Food Safety Authority2012
Lead dietary exposure in the European population.
Article in EFSA journal. European Food Safety Authority, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 192 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
192 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Quantifying uncertainty: a practical comparison of Bayesian and frequentist meta-analytic frameworks applied to lead exposure and children's IQ.BMC medical research methodology · 2026Pooled it
- Exploring cadmium exposure as a contributor to male infertility: insights from the relationship between environmental pollutants and the male reproductive system.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Pooled it
- Chemical Hazards in Products of Animal Origin in Cambodia from 2000 to 2023: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Pooled it
- Systemic review of genetic and epigenetic factors underlying differential toxicity to environmental lead (Pb) exposure.Environmental science and pollution research international · 2022Pooled it
- Pooled it
- What do we know about exposure of Iranians to cadmium? Findings from a systematic review.Environmental science and pollution research international · 2018Pooled it
- Acceptability and impact on health-related markers of a sustainable dietary pattern: results from a pilot randomized controlled cross-over study.European journal of nutrition · 2026Trial
- Trial
- Toxic Metal Exposure from Ecuadorian Seafood: Dietary Exposure and Risk Characterization Across Key Commercial Species.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Commercial Edible Seaweeds: Characterization by Mineral Content and Fatty Acid Composition.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Dietary and Environmental Exposure to Toxic Elements in Endometriosis: A Missing Piece of the Etiological Puzzle?Nutrients · 2026Review
- Assessment of Essential and Toxic Elements in Commercial Diet Catering Meal Plants in Poland: Compliance with Nutritional Recommendations.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Cadmium-Induced Toxicity as a Pathophysiological Mechanism for Parkinson's Disease Onset in Individuals with Iron and Zinc Deficiencies and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.Neurology international · 2026Review
- Interpretable machine learning models to predict cadmium in wheat for safe production and soil management.Fundamental research · 2026Article
- Article
- Multiyear Soil-Fruit Transfer Dynamics of Macro- and Trace Elements in Raspberry (Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Safety of Commercial Cod Products and Potential Impact on Consumers.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Multi-Targeted Mechanisms of Phytochemicals in Mitigating Cadmium-Induced Breast Cancer.Medicines (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Global Burden of Lead Exposure: Integrating Epidemiology, Molecular Mechanisms, and Mitigation Approaches.Health science reports · 2026Article
- A Three-Decade Overview of Cadmium and Lead in Placentas of Postpartum Women: A Review of Evidence from Croatia (1990s-2019).Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
132 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Lead is a natural environmental contaminant, but its use in the past in water pipes, paint and petrol increased its general presence. Food is the major source of human exposure to lead. Lead accumulates in the body and most seriously affects the developing central nervous system in young children. There is no recommended tolerable intake level as there is no evidence of thresholds for a number of critical health effects. Legislative measures have been gradually introduced to reduce exposure by removing lead from paint, food cans, water pipes and petrol. The current study examined 144,206 analytical results for lead in food collected during a nine-year period. More than half of the foods tested had levels of lead at less than detection or quantification limits. The mean lead levels varied between 0.3 µg/kg for infant follow-on formulae to 4,300 µg/kg for dietetic products with an overall median across all categories of 21.4 µg/kg. Food lead levels decreased by about 23 % between 2003 and 2010, although this should be interpreted cautiously. Mean lifetime dietary exposure was estimated at 0.68 µg/kg b.w. per day in the European population based on middle bound mean lead occurrence. Exposure was highest for toddlers and other children with 1.32 and 1.03 µg/kg b.w. per day, respectively, while the two infant surveys ranged between 0.83 and 0.91 µg/kg b.w. per day. Adult exposure was estimated at 0.50 µg/kg b.w. per day. The elderly and very elderly population groups had similar profiles to the adult age group, while adolescents had slightly higher estimated dietary exposure. Important food category contributors include bread and rolls (8.5 %), tea (6.2 %), tap water (6.1 %), potatoes and potato products (4.9 %), fermented milk products (4.2%) and beer and beer-like beverages (4.1 %), although this will vary between age groups and surveys.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.