Human Health Risk Assessment and Potentially Harmful Element Contents in the Fruits Cultivated in the Southern Poland

The presence of potentially harmful elements (PHEs) in popularly consumed fruits in Poland was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Se, Sb, Tl, and Zn contents were investigated in 21 fruit species grouped as berry, pome, stone, and shell fruits. The PHE contents belonged to the following ranges (mg/kg wet weight): Cd < limit of detection (LOD)–0.116, Co < LOD–0.062, Cu < LOD–15.5, Ni < LOD–2.23, Pb < LOD–2.07, Sb < LOD–0.240, Tl < LOD–0.110, and Zn 0.37–37.7. Their concentrations exceeded the maximum allowable concentration (MAC) set by European Union regulation for Pb only. Bioconcentration coefficient (BC) values, calculated in accordance to the PHE contents in exchangeable and acid soluble forms in soil after first step of the Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) sequential extraction procedure, revealed that berry fruits had potential for accumulation of Cu, Ni, Sb, and Tl; stone fruits—Cu, Sb, and Tl; pome fruits—Cu, Ni, and Sb, and shell fruit (walnut)—Cu. Human health risk assessment associated with the intake of PHEs in fruits was evaluated in terms of daily intake rates (DIR), and carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk by cancer risk (CR) and hazard quotient (HQ), respectively. For Pb margin of exposure (MOE) approach was used for health risk evaluation. Daily intake rates for all PHEs were below the provisional maximum tolerable daily intake (PMTDI) values. The mean total non-carcinogenic risk values were the following: berry fruits HQ = 0.47, pome fruits HQ = 0.36, stone fruits HQ = 0.42, and shell fruits (walnut) HQ = 0.22, indicating no health hazards. The carcinogenic risk for As in walnut only under an adult intake scenario (CR = 1.98 × 10 −6 ) was found to be above the acceptable risk level. The mean Pb health risk, according to Polish statistical intake rates, was acceptable low as the MOE value was equal to 15.7 for adults. In reference to the intake rates recommended by United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), MOE values for Pb indicated acceptable low risk both for adults (MOE = 14.0) and children (MOE = 1.64). In general, the finding of this research revealed no health risk arising from PHE consumption with fruits for the population of Poland.