The aim of this study was to assess honey contamination by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Six species of honey were examined, as well as rape blossom and soil from villages Pęczerzyno and Przybysław in West Pomerania, Poland. The instrumental analysis was performed using a HP 6890 gas chromatograph coupled to a HP 5973 mass spectrometer with selected ion monitoring (SIM). Quantification was done by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) using perdeuterated internal standards. Both soil samples showed high levels of all 23 PAHs, whereas honey contained mostly non-carcinogenic PAHs of low molecular weight. The most contaminated honey from Pęczerzyno contained 0.24 μg kg-1 benzo[a]pyrene. Moreover, despite low contamination of honey, a positive correlation was found between PAH content in honey, blossom and soil.

The occurrence of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in 68 brands of teas, bought in Poland, was surveyed using ultrasonic extraction of dried teas and liquid–liquid extraction of infusions. The extracts were cleaned by solid phase extraction. The instrumental analysis was performed using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The total content of 16 PAHs (∑16PAHs) ranged from 41.5 to 2910.2 μg/kg in dried teas and from 52.9 to 2226.0 ng/L in infusions. Benzo(a)pyrene was found from below limit of quantification to 75.7 μg/kg in dried teas and from limit of detection to 18.7 ng/L in infusions. The least contaminated samples were herbal and fruit teas, while traditional black, green, red, and white teas, i.e. teas made of Camellia sinensis, were more polluted. Positive correlations between dried traditional teas and their infusions were observed. The mean transfer rates of ∑16PAHs from dried materials into water ranged from 2.4 to 25.3%. The total toxicity of the tested teas largely corresponded to the sum of 4 PAHs (∑4PAHs) chosen by the European Food Safety Authority as indicator of PAHs in food. Estimated PAHs uptake and margin of exposure pointed to low health risks associated with drinking tea infusions.

The analysis of material used in this study demonstrated that the amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in smoked sprats varies from the level below the lowest detection limit in muscles up to 9.99 µg kg⁻¹ of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) in fish skin. Such a high level of PAHs in skin was reported only in one of six batches of sprats, while mean BaP level was at 1.69 µg kg⁻¹. Regardless such a high BaP level in skin, its concentration in muscles did not exceed the maximum acceptable level. The study objective was to assess to what extent packaging materials adsorb PAH compounds from food. Changes in the PAH levels were monitored in fish during their storage in packages made of various materials. The storage time was from 0 to 168 hours. The obtained results varied considerably, therefore their scatter did not allow to confirm unequivocally the preliminary hypothesis about the reduction of PAHs due to their migration to packaging material. However, analysis of the packaging used in this study demonstrated a significant increase in the level of total 16 PAHs. When high-density polyethylene (HDPE) packaging was analysed, a six-fold increase in the total 16 PAHs was observed comparing to the blank sample.

The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis about physical factors causing a significant decrease of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds in foodstuffs. For this purpose, extraction of 16 PAHs (prioritised by EPA) from selected foodstuffs (rapeseed oil and sunflower oil) was carried out. The changes in PAH content in oils exposed to selected physical factors (UV radiation, temperature and time) were observed. Oils under study were exposed to two types of UV radiation: direct and indirect (through a glass plate). In both experiments, a reduction of 16 PAHs in oils was recorded but in the latter a PAH reduction was not as high. In another experiment, the temperature of oils was raised to 40, 100 and 200°C. As a result, the content of PAHs has decreased significantly. In both cases, exposure to UV radiation and high temperature resulted in the reduction of PAHs, it was strongly correlated with the duration of experiments. The results showed relatively low contamination of oil with PAHs. Only for rapeseed oil, the level of said contamination was substantially higher than laid down limits.

Most articles on the exposure to arsenic (As) associated with rice and rice products come from Asia where these products are consumed in the largest quantities; relatively few of the articles have focused on European consumers. Since rice products can represent a significant contribution to overall arsenic exposure, the aim of the study was to determine the total arsenic content (tAs) in rice and the most commonly-consumed rice products available on the Polish market. The tAs determination was performed by hydride generation coupled to inductively-coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (HG-ICP-OES). Because an inorganic form of As (iAs) is mutagenic and carcinogenic and about 100-fold more toxic than the organic form, an additional aim of the study was to assess the risk of its ingestion, assuming that it constitutes 67.7%, 72.7%, or 90% of tAs. In all products tested, the calculated iAs content was below the maximum permissible levels, and no threat was found for any of the analyzed Polish consumers, based on the mean rice consumption in Poland and the mean calculated iAs content. However, a potential health risk was noted among infants and young children, assuming maximum iAs levels and threefold higher consumption (16.2 g d⁻¹). To avoid a risk of developing cancer, infants up to one year of age should consume no more than 32.2 g of the studied products per week, children under three years of age up to 68.7 g, and adults 243 g. Consumers should strive to include a variety of cereals in their daily diet and choose products shown to have low arsenic contamination levels based on testing and inspection rankings.