Transcript food
1 Management of environmental contaminants Description of the particularities of the environmental contaminants, mainly heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants (dioxins and PCBs). Exchange of views and revision of the current management measures in place both in the EU and Codex, including food and feed, for environmental contaminants in all the fields of competence involved. 2 Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency Content • Environmental contaminants (natural) - PAH* - Heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Hg) - Arsenic • Persistent organic pollutants (chemical synthesis) - Dioxins - DL-PCBs - NDL-PCBs - Other POPs (PFOS & PFOA, BFRs) Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency 3 Heavy Metals 4 Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency Heavy metals • Natural components of the Earth’s crust that can be increased by human activity (industry, agriculture) • Foodstuffs are the main source of heavy metals exposure for the general population • Neither chemically nor biologically biodegradable. They accumulate in the body • No biological function (humans, animals). Toxic to humans at certain levels Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency 5 Cadmium • Example of how to manage environmental contaminants 6 Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency Cadmium • Natural component of the Earth’s crust that can be increased by human activities (mining, paints, batteries) • IARC has classified cadmium as carcinogenic to humans (category 1) • Cadmium can accumulate inside the body and may cause renal dysfunction and bone demineralisation • Foodstuffs are the main source of cadmium exposure for the non-smoking general population Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency 7 EFSA‘s Scientific Opinion on cadmium in foodstuffs (2009) • The mean exposure for adults across Europe is close to, or slightly exceeding, the TWI • High consumers (vegetarians, children, smokers and people living in highly contaminated areas) may exceed the TWI by about 2-fold • EFSA concluded that the current exposure to Cd at the population level should be reduced 8 Source: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/scdocs/scdoc/980.htm Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency Consumption Level Consumption Cocoa Crustaceans Offal Fungi Oilseeds Algae Molluscs Level Cereals Potatoes Bread and rolls Bakery products Chocolate products Leafy vegetables HIGHER IMPACT ON THE EXPOSURE EXPOSURE Cd level in foodstuffs Food consumption 9 Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency ML (ALARA) 5% P95 X Distribution of a certain contaminant in a foodstuff Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency 10 RISK ASSESSMENT RISK MANAGEMENT Revision of MLs 1881/2006 (lower) EFSA 2009 11 Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) 12 Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency Vietnam, 1962-1971 2,4-D y 2,4,5-T Herbicides Carcinogen byproduct 2,3,7,8-TCDD Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency 13 What are they? Accumulate (C-H)n Toxic Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency 14 General characteristics • Resistant to degradation: • Photolytic • Biological • Chemical • Low affinity for polar compounds Stability High liposolubility Bioaccumulation Volatility • Magnification along the food chain • Travel long distances Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency 15 Dioxins • Not commercially produced • Unknown utility (GOOD!) • Undesired by-products of: - Incineration of municipal waste - Industry emissions (chemical, mining, metal and paper industries) - Synthesis of certain chemicals (pesticides or other chloride substances) - Emissions from energy generation/means of transportation Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency 16 Dioxins (cont’d) • They remain as impurities or may be released to the air • 210 compounds • Toxicity: 17 toxic (complex mixtures) Acute effects: Burns Chloracne Chronic effects: Heart disease Immunological disruption Feminize babies Cancer • Exposure of humans mainly by food of animal origin (fish, meat and milk products) Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency 17 PCBs • Produced in the past as: - Liquid insulating material (electric equipment, transformer oils, dielectric fluids) - Solvents for pesticides - Flame-retardant materials •Very high stability •Low inflamability •Low conductivity • 209 congeners • Complex mixtures 18 Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency PCBs (cont’d) • Forbidden since the 80’ • Still released to the environment (improper disposal or leaks) • Co-occur in nature together with dioxins (same toxicity and route of exposure) 19 Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency Difference between dioxins and PCBs? Dioxins PCBs Non-intentional by-products of a series of chemical and combustion processes Chemical products produced intentionally (during 30’-70’) 20 Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency PCBs Dioxin-like PCBs Non-dioxin-like PCBs • 12 toxic congeners • ML in Regulation 1881/2006 (TEQs) • ppb-ppt • Same distribution/toxicity as dioxins • 6 toxic congeners • ML in Regulation 1881/2006 (no TEQs) • ppm • Neurotoxic • Markers of the presence of DL-PCBs 21 Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency MANAGEMENT MEASURES FOR ENVIROMENTAL CONTAMINANTS IN FOOD AND FEED 22 Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency Human activities ENVIRONMENT PLANTS, ANIMALS, WATER Industrial/transport emissions Disposal of waste Production, use or elimination of certain substances New chemicals Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency FOOD/FEED 23 Exchange of views Your are the government of your country. Based on the information given, your experiences and on measures which may have already been taken in your countries, we will discuss risk management measures to reduce human exposure to environmental contaminants via diet in the different fields involved. Discussion in groups (5 minutes) and we will explore the measures together. 24 Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency Maximum limits REGULATION 1881/2006 FOOD DIRECTIVE 2002/32 FEED • Pb, Cd, Hg, As • Dioxins and PCBs • Undesirable substances 25 Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency ... but setting up MLs • Costly • Low efficacy • Not possible to reduce/eliminate its content in the food • Rejection and destruction of whole lots Need for Preventive Measures! 26 Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency Monitoring for POPs • Recommendation 2006/794/EC on background levels of dioxins, dioxin-like PCBs and non-dioxinlike PCBs in foodstuffs • Recommendation 2013/711/EU on the reduction of the presence of dioxins, furans and PCBs in feed and food (action levels) • Recommendation 2014/118/EU on BFRs in food • Recommendation 2010/161/EU on PFOS in food 27 Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency Action levels vs MLs ML 3 pg/g fat Egg Action Level • • • • Lower than ML Requires “action”-investigation No withdrawal is needed FBO self-control/official control Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency 1,75 pg/g fat 28 Codes of practice for heavy metals • Recommendation 2014/193 on the reduction of the presence of cadmium in foodstuffs • CAC/RCP 56-2004 on the prevention and reduction of lead in foods 29 Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency Codes of practice for POPs • CAC/RCP 62-2006 on prevention and reduction of dioxins and dioxin-like PCB contamination in food and feed 30 Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency Codes of practice for all chemicals • CAC/RCP 49-2001 concerning source directed measures to reduce contamination of foods with chemicals 31 Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency Other measures for POPs STOCKHOLM CONVENTION • Regulation 850/2004 on persistent organic pollutants 32 Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency CONCLUSIONS: • The most effective risk management measure to reduce human exposure (general population) to environmental contaminants is the establishment of MLs • However, this measure is very costly since the noncompliant foodstuff has to be destroyed • Preventive measures are more useful, less costly though they give results in the long term 33 Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency 34