Environmental contaminants in food

Cressey P.J., . and Vannoort R.W., . Environmental contaminants in food. pp. 9-20. ISSN 0127-0265

Foods may contain chemicals that are known to have a deleterious effect on human health. Widespread contamination of water air and soily by chemicals and industrial pollutants means that the crops were grow and the animals we used for foods are often exposed to toxic substances. These chemicals may enter the food as a consequence of their natural presence in the environment (lead cadmium arsenic and mercury) through their introduction from human sources (pesticides PCBs dioxins heavy metals) or as naturaly occurring phenomena (mycotoxins). Assessment of these components in foods is increasingly discussed in terms of risk and specifically the related disciplines of risk assessment risk management and risk communication. Formal risk assessment is conventionally seen as proceeding through four sequential phases: hazard indentification hazard characterisation (dose/response relationship) exposure assessment risk characterisation. Hazard identification involves the establishment of a causal relationship between the chemical of interest and the production of adverse health effects. This process involves collation and evaluation of available toxicity data from human (epidemiological) and animal studies to determine the type of health effects which may be caused by the chemical and the exposure conditions under which these effects may be observed. Hazard characterisation defines the relationship between the exposure dose and the production of toxicological relationships. Carcinogens and non-carcinogens are treated differently in this respect. To assess the relevance of the information derived from the hazard identification and characterisation an estimate of likely human exposure to the chemical is necessary. Dietary exposure assessment can be defined in the following terms: Exposure (consumption x concentration). In other words it is the sum over all foods of the amount of the food eaten multiplied by the concentration of the chemical in that food. Risk characterisation involves describing the nature and magnitude of the risk and stating the associated uncertainties. The New Zealand Total Diet Survey and some of its outputs are discussed in terms of their use for dietary risk assessment and as a mean of monitoring the effectiveness of risk management procedures.

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Abstract

Foods may contain chemicals that are known to have a deleterious effect on human health. Widespread contamination of water air and soily by chemicals and industrial pollutants means that the crops were grow and the animals we used for foods are often exposed to toxic substances. These chemicals may enter the food as a consequence of their natural presence in the environment (lead cadmium arsenic and mercury) through their introduction from human sources (pesticides PCBs dioxins heavy metals) or as naturaly occurring phenomena (mycotoxins). Assessment of these components in foods is increasingly discussed in terms of risk and specifically the related disciplines of risk assessment risk management and risk communication. Formal risk assessment is conventionally seen as proceeding through four sequential phases: hazard indentification hazard characterisation (dose/response relationship) exposure assessment risk characterisation. Hazard identification involves the establishment of a causal relationship between the chemical of interest and the production of adverse health effects. This process involves collation and evaluation of available toxicity data from human (epidemiological) and animal studies to determine the type of health effects which may be caused by the chemical and the exposure conditions under which these effects may be observed. Hazard characterisation defines the relationship between the exposure dose and the production of toxicological relationships. Carcinogens and non-carcinogens are treated differently in this respect. To assess the relevance of the information derived from the hazard identification and characterisation an estimate of likely human exposure to the chemical is necessary. Dietary exposure assessment can be defined in the following terms: Exposure (consumption x concentration). In other words it is the sum over all foods of the amount of the food eaten multiplied by the concentration of the chemical in that food. Risk characterisation involves describing the nature and magnitude of the risk and stating the associated uncertainties. The New Zealand Total Diet Survey and some of its outputs are discussed in terms of their use for dietary risk assessment and as a mean of monitoring the effectiveness of risk management procedures.

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Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Summary (En)
AGROVOC Term:	FOODS
AGROVOC Term:	FOOD HYGIENE
AGROVOC Term:	FOOD SAFETY
AGROVOC Term:	CONTAMINATION
AGROVOC Term:	CHEMICAL CONTAMINATION
AGROVOC Term:	PESTICIDES
AGROVOC Term:	METALS
AGROVOC Term:	MYCOTOXINS
AGROVOC Term:	WEATHER HAZARDS
AGROVOC Term:	HEALTH HAZARDS
Depositing User:	Ms. Norfaezah Khomsan
Last Modified:	24 Apr 2025 05:52
URI:	http://webagris.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/17730

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