Intake of chromium by the adult population of Mumbai City

Electro Thermal Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (ET-AAS), is used for the determination of chromium (Cr) in a variety of environmental matrices. The detection limit for the estimation of Cr is 2 pg absolute for a volume injection of 20 μl. The precision of the method is established by analysing Cr from a synthetic mixture containing various elements in different qualities (0.5-10 ppm) and is found to be within ± 8%. The reliability of estimation is further assessed through the analysis of Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) of soil, hay, milk powder and lake sediment obtained from IAEA. The total intake of Cr through air, water and food works out to be 54 μg/day for the adult population of Mumbai city. The dietary intake through food is the major contributor to the total intake of Cr. The concentration of Cr in atmospheric air and drinking water collected from different suburbs showed geometric mean concentrations of 0.09 μg/m^sup 3^ and 0.3 μg/l, respectively. The daily intake of Cr, though lower, is closer to the lower bound of the recommended value of 50-200 μg/day.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]