10.1021/acs.jafc.7b00051.s001 Kailin Deng Kailin Deng Wan Chan Wan Chan Development of a QuEChERS-Based Method for Determination of Carcinogenic 2‑Nitrofluorene and 1‑Nitropyrene in Rice Grains and Vegetables: A Comparative Study with Benzo[<i>a</i>]pyrene American Chemical Society 2017 food samples nitro-PAHs exposure Previous studies pyrene Nitrated polycyclic Rice Grains 2- nitrofluorene food contaminants surveillance data vegetable samples 1- nitropyrene rice grains QuEChERS-Based Method Dietary exposure risk Comparative Study PAH exposure formation mechanisms Hong Kong citizens 2017-02-20 00:00:00 Journal contribution https://acs.figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Development_of_a_QuEChERS-Based_Method_for_Determination_of_Carcinogenic_2_Nitrofluorene_and_1_Nitropyrene_in_Rice_Grains_and_Vegetables_A_Comparative_Study_with_Benzo_i_a_i_pyrene/4688320 Nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (nitro-PAHs) are ubiquitous environmental pollutants attracting increasing attention because of their potent mutagenicity to humans. Previous studies of nitro-PAHs focused on investigating their formation mechanisms and detecting them in atmospheric environment; however, few studies have reported their occurrence in food samples, and regulations on nitro-PAHs are still lacking. We report in this study the development and application of a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) method for determination of nitro-PAHs in rice and vegetable samples. Analysis of the collected samples by the validated method revealed 1-nitropyrene and 2-nitrofluorene were widespread food contaminants. A comparative study with benzo­[<i>a</i>]­pyrene, the commonly used marker for PAH exposure, showed that carcinogenic nitro-PAHs existed in rice and vegetables at similar concentrations. Dietary exposure risk, which was estimated based on the surveillance data, suggested 3.28–5.03 ng/kg/day of nitro-PAHs exposure for Hong Kong citizens from rice grains and vegetables.