Why is IAEA measuring dietary intakes of trace elements?
• Essential trace elements such as iron, iodine, selenium and zinc are involved in numerous biochemical functions, and deficiencies of these elements are associated with serious diseases, particularly in developing countries; intakes of these elements are entirely through the diet.. • Human exposure to toxic elements such as mercury, cadmium, lead and arsenic is mainly through the diet; developing countries are especially at risk. • Desirable levels of dietary intake have been defined by WHO, FAO and IAEA expert groups; comparison of actual intake with these guidelines reveals whether populations are at risk of deficiency or toxicity. The IAEA’s role in dietary intake studies The IAEA has been encouraging some nuclear laboratories in developing countries to establish collaborative research programmes with their national institutes of nutrition on projects that can take advantage of the high specificity and sensitivity of nuclear analytical techniques. Studies of trace elements in foods
