Cadmium concentration in current Japanese foods and beverages

Aims - The present study was to determine the cadmium (Cd) concentrations in ordinarily consumed foods and beverages in Japan. Methods - Cd concentrations in 519 foods and beverages purchased from a local market were measured with the flame or flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). Results - The Cd concentration in each food group was as follows: cereals 0.004-0.380 μg/g, potatoes <0.01-0.08 μg/g, sugars and sweeteners <0.01 μg/g, pulses <0.010-0.220 μg/g, nuts and seeds <0.01-0.18 μg/g, vegetables (grown in soil) <0.001-0.128 μg/g, vegetable (grown by means of hydroponics) <0.001- 0.002 μg/g, fruits <0.001-0.033 μg/g, mushrooms <0.01-0.19 μg/g, algae 0.040-2.380 μg/g, fish <0.01-0.02 μg/g, shellfish <0.010-5.050 μg/g, meats < 0.001-0.100 μg/g, eggs <0.001 μg/g, milk <0.010 μg/g, fats and oils <0.001-0.001 μg/g, confectioneries <0.020-0.100 μg/g, beverages <0.01-0.13 μg/g, seasoning and spices <0.01-0.06 μg/g, and various supplement tablets <0.001-0.036 μg/g. Conclusion-A database of Cd content in foods was compiled. Cd in cereals varied from 0.004 to 0.380 μg/g. Algae, shellfish and pulses contained much higher concentrations of Cd. Vegetables grown by hydroponic cultivation contained only a very low or undetectable amount of Cd. Estimation of dietary Cd intake from the database could provide a reasonable method for estimating the relative contributions of different food groups to dietary Cd intake.