SURVEY OF LEAD, CADMIUM, FLUORIDE, NICKEL, AND COBALT IN FOOD COMPOSITES AND ESTIMATION OF DIETARY INTAKES OF THESE ELEMENTS BY CANADIANS IN 1986-1988

During the period 1986-1988, foods were purchased at the retail level in 5 Canadian cities and, for each city, prepared for consumption and combined into 113 composites and 39 composite subsets, Lead and cadmiu m were determined in all the samples; fluoride, in samples from Winnip eg; and cobalt and nickel, in samples from Montreal, Means and ranges of concentrations (ng/g) found in individual samples were lead, 23.2 ( <0.4-523); cadmium, 9.96 (<0.02-167); fluoride, 325 (11-4970); nickel, 196 (<0.6-2521); and cobalt, 9.4 (<0.3-75.7), Estimated dietary intak es (mu g/day) of the elements over all ages and sexes were lead, 24; c admium, 13; fluoride, 1763; nickel, 286; and cobalt, 11. During the pe riod 1985-1988, the average level of lead in canned foods decreased fr om 73.6 to 46 ng/g.