Abstract: 【Objective】The aim of the study is to assess the cumulative risk of dietary sulfur dioxide residues, result of the research will provide a scientific basis for the guidelines of sulfur dioxide in fruits or vegetables and also its threshold line in agricultural products. 【Method】 There were 3 299 samples of foods collected from market and field, then the residues of sulfur dioxide were determined according to GB/T 5009.34-2003 (Determination of sulphite in foods). There were 408 samples used as references, which including starch, inebriant, mushrooms and maconochie. According to the mean value of sulfur dioxide in samples, per capita consumption and weight, the point evaluation method was used in the research to assess the cumulative exposure risk of dietary sulfur dioxide for different age groups in China.【Result】The results showed that, 4 of 27 kinds of samples, mean pickled vegetables, canned vegetables (only bamboo shoot and sour pickled cabbage), dried fruit and edible starch all had higher values of sulfur dioxide than their threshold line ruled by GB2760-2014 (National Standards for Food Safety Standards for the Use of Food Additives), with their values were 148.92, 147.36, 191.21, and 41.57 mg·kg^-1, respectively, and they were 2.9, 1.5, 1.9 and 1.4 times as high as their threshold line correspondingly, while the assessment showed that the risk was still within the acceptable range of human body because of their low consumption. Although the risk of dietary exposure to sulfur dioxide in vegetables was higher than other food categories, but its risk quotient was only 0.124, still less than 1, at a safe level, will not have a health risk to consumers. In addition, risk quotient based on the average residue level were all less than 1 in different age groups. However, at the confidence point P95 and P97.5, the risk quotient of four age groups (2-3 years, 4-6 years, 7-10 years and 11-13 years old), were higher than or similar to 1, means dietary risk of sulfur dioxide causing a certain threat to health.【Conclusion】It was recommended that the consumption of pickled vegetables, canned vegetables (only bamboo shoot and sour pickled cabbage), dried fruit and edible starch should be properly controlled, especially for high risk population such as children groups aged from 2 to 13 years old, who should control their diet intake of sulfur dioxide including pickled food to reduce dietary risk. The results showed that the safety evaluation of sulfur dioxide on agricultural products should be carried out on products without guidelines of preservative containing sulfur dioxide, especially for some fresh vegetables. The authors suggested that systematic revision of the limits of sulfur dioxide in agricultural products or revision of the use of food additives also should be carried out with concerning about the agricultural demand, background value or other objective factors.

Key words: sulfur dioxide, point evaluation, cumulative risk, dietary risk assessment, risk quotient