The Sources of Chemical Contaminants in Food and Their Health Implications.

Jeongheui Lim,Woon K Paek,Irfan A Rather,Wee Yin Koh

doi:10.3389/fphar.2017.00830

Abstract

Food contamination is a matter of serious concern, as the high concentration of chemicals present in the edibles poses serious health risks. Protecting the public from the degrees of the harmfulness of contaminated foods has become a daunting task. This article highlights the causes, types, and health implications of chemical contamination in food. The food contamination could be due to naturally occurring contaminants in the environment or artificially introduced by the human. The phases of food processing, packaging, transportation, and storage are also significant contributors to food contamination. The implications of these chemical contaminants on human health are grave, ranging from mild gastroenteritis to fatal cases of hepatic, renal, and neurological syndromes. Although, the government regulates such chemicals in the eatables by prescribing minimum limits that are safe for human consumption yet measures still need to be taken to curb food contamination entirely. Therefore, a variety of food needs to be inspected and measured for the presence of chemical contaminants. The preventative measures pertaining about the food contaminants problems are pointed out and discussed.

Highlights

The phrase chemical contamination is a clear indication of the presence of chemicals where they should not be or are present in an amount that is in a higher concentration than the amount that is attributed as safe
The chemical hazards are one of the main causes of food contamination that associated with foodborne disease outbreaks (Faille et al, in press)
An estimated 400 to 500 children died of acute lead poisoning due to ingestion of food contaminated with lead-contained soil and dust in Nigeria (Tirima et al, in press). Keeping such incidents in mind and the overall harmful health implications in the fore, this review examines the reasons and types of chemical contaminants in food along with individual’s exposure to such contaminated foods on a daily basis and further elaborates the health impacts of such food impurities

Summary

Introduction

The phrase chemical contamination is a clear indication of the presence of chemicals where they should not be or are present in an amount that is in a higher concentration than the amount that is attributed as safe. Food is a crucial contributor to human health well-being and a major source of worry, pleasures, and stress (Wilcock et al, 2004), with one of the reasons behind the stress and worry, are the diseases caused as a result of contaminated food. Food preparation undergoes through a long chain of processing, where each stage is a potential source of chemical contaminants invasion of the food.

Results

Conclusion