Benzo (α) pyrene in infant foods: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and health risk assessment

Exposure of infants to chemicals during their development will have major effects on their health. One of the major exposures of infants to chemicals is through their food. The main structure of infant food is milk, which is high in fat. There is a possibility of accumulation of environmental pollution, including benzo (alpha) pyrene (BaP). In this systematic review, the amount of BaP in infant milk was surveyed for this purpose. The chosen keywords were: benzo (alpha) pyrene, BaP, Infant formula, dried milk, powdered milk, and baby food. A total of 46 manuscripts were found in the scientific database. After initial screening and quality assessment, 12 articles were selected for extraction of data. By meta-analysis, the total estimate of BaP in baby food was calculated to be 0.078 +/- 0.006 mu g/kg. Estimation of daily intake (EDI) and Hazard Quotient (HQ) for noncarcinogenic risk and Margin of exposure (MOE) for carcinogenic risk were also calculated for three age groups 0-6 months, 6-12 months, and 1-3 years. HQ was lower than 1 and MOE was more than 10,000 for three age groups. Therefore, there is no potential carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk for infant health.