Godebo Tewodros Rango, Stoner Hannah, Taylor Pornpimol, Jeuland Marc
Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA.
Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA.
Environ Pollut. 2025 Jan 1;364(Pt 2):125221. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.125221. Epub 2024 Oct 29.
This is the first large bio-surveillance study examining the contents and geographic variation of metals of public health concern-arsenic (As), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), and cobalt (Co)-in honey samples collected across the United States. Metal concentrations were measured using ICP-MS, and the spatial distribution pattern of these contaminants was evaluated using statistical and GIS tools. The mean (highest) values (in μg/kg) were 3.8 (170) for As, 8.0 (451) for Pb, and 0.75 (8.1) for Cd. These values, as well as the mean (highest) concentrations of 29.5 (516) for Ni, 14.3 (166) for Co, and 19.6 (11) for Cr, were markedly lower than global averages reported in other countries. The study identified distinct geographic patterns of honey contamination; particularly high As levels were found in northwestern states, while high Co was measured in the southeast. Health risk calculations based on the hazard quotient (HQ) and hazard index (HI) were below 1 for a daily tablespoon (21g) of honey consumption, indicating no adverse health concerns for children and adults, and all samples fell below the 1.0 × 10 threshold for carcinogenic risk from As. The variation in metal concentrations found in samples from different states may reflect the influence of air, water, or soil pollution, as well as differential accumulation across plant species, and the distinct geographic clustering of As and Co warrants further investigation to determine the sources of these metals and to assess public health risks, particularly for As, a well-known carcinogen. In sum, this initial study provides baseline values of metal concentrations in honey that can be useful for monitoring future pollution trends, identifying target areas where reductions of emissions or remediation efforts are most critical, and facilitating discovery in environmental exposures (the exposome) and health research, including on cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
这是第一项大型生物监测研究，旨在检测美国各地采集的蜂蜜样本中具有公共卫生意义的金属——砷（As）、铅（Pb）、镉（Cd）、镍（Ni）、铬（Cr）和钴（Co）的含量及地理差异。使用电感耦合等离子体质谱法（ICP-MS）测量金属浓度，并运用统计和地理信息系统（GIS）工具评估这些污染物的空间分布模式。砷的平均（最高）值（以μg/kg计）为3.8（170），铅为8.0（451），镉为0.75（8.1）。这些值以及镍的平均（最高）浓度29.5（516）、钴的14.3（166）和铬的19.6（11）均明显低于其他国家报告的全球平均值。该研究确定了蜂蜜污染的明显地理模式；西北部各州的砷含量特别高，而东南部检测到的钴含量较高。基于危害商数（HQ）和危害指数（HI）的健康风险计算表明，每日食用一汤匙（21克）蜂蜜的风险低于1，这表明儿童和成人不存在不良健康问题，并且所有样本的砷致癌风险均低于1.0×10的阈值。不同州样本中发现的金属浓度差异可能反映了空气、水或土壤污染的影响，以及不同植物物种的差异积累，而砷和钴明显的地理聚类情况值得进一步研究，以确定这些金属的来源并评估公共卫生风险，特别是对于众所周知的致癌物砷。总之，这项初步研究提供了蜂蜜中金属浓度的基线值，可用于监测未来的污染趋势、确定减排或修复工作最为关键的目标区域，并促进环境暴露（暴露组）和健康研究的开展，包括癌症和心血管疾病研究。
