Joint Expert Committee On Food Additives Research Articles

Assessment of Aspartame (E951) Occurrence in Selected Foods and Beverages on the German Market 2000-2022.

This study examines the occurrence of the artificial sweetener aspartame (E951) in foods and beverages sampled by food control authorities in Germany between 2000 and 2022. The dataset was obtained through the Consumer Information Act. Out of 53,116 samples analyzed, aspartame was present in 7331 samples (14%), of which 5703 samples (11%) in nine major food groups were further evaluated. The results showed that aspartame was most commonly found in powdered drink bases (84%), flavored milk drinks (78%), chewing gum (77%), and diet soft drinks (72%). In the solid food groups, the highest mean aspartame content was detected in chewing gum (1543 mg/kg, n = 241), followed by sports foods (1453 mg/kg, n = 125), fiber supplements (1248 mg/kg, n = 11), powdered drink bases (1068 mg/kg, n = 162), and candies (437 mg/kg, n = 339). Liquid products generally had the highest aspartame content in diet soft drinks (91 mg/L, n = 2021), followed by regular soft drinks (59 mg/L, n = 574), flavored milk drinks (48 mg/kg, n = 207), and mixed beer drinks (24 mg/L, n = 40). These results suggest that aspartame is commonly used in some foods and beverages in Germany. The levels of aspartame found were generally within the legal limits set by the European Union. These findings provide the first comprehensive overview of aspartame in the German food market and may be particularly useful in informing the forthcoming working groups of the WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the WHO/FAO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), which are in the process of evaluating the human health hazards and risks associated with the consumption of aspartame.

Professor Susanne Rath, a researcher who has bravely faced challenges since childhood, kindly granted BrJAC an interview

Susanne Rath is an associate professor in the Institute of Chemistry at the University of Campinas (Unicamp), where she coordinates the “Laboratório de Bioanalítica Paracelsus”. She graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry (1983) from the University of Brasília (UnB), a Master’s degree in Chemistry (1986) from Unicamp, and a Ph.D in Pharmaceutical Chemistry (1990) from the Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universität Frankfurt am Main, Germany. So far, she has published 110 articles and seven book chapters, had four patents granted, and she has presented over 230 papers at scientific conferences. She supervised 17 master's students, 20 doctorate students and 10 post-docs. In addition, she coordinated 23 research projects supported by Brazilian funding agencies. Prof. Dr. Rath’s primary research is focused on toxic compounds in food, residue depletion studies of veterinary drugs in food-producing animals, development and validation of analytical methods, application of bidimensional chromatography and mass spectrometry, environmental impact assessment of veterinary drugs, antimicrobial resistance and N-nitrosamines in food, cosmetics and drugs. Since 2007, Prof. Rath has been a member of the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Since 2011, Prof. Rath has been a member of the Technical Group on Maximum Residue Limits for Veterinary Drugs in Food of the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) of the Ministry of Health of Brazil.

Estimation of Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) for Immunological Effects of Aflatoxin.

Aflatoxins are toxic chemicals produced by the fungi Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. In warm climates, these fungi frequently contaminate crops such as maize, peanuts, tree nuts, and sunflower seeds. In many tropical and subtropical regions of the world, populations are coexposed to dietary aflatoxin and multiple infectious pathogens in food, water, and the environment. There is increasing evidence that aflatoxin compromises the immune system, which could increase infectious disease risk in vulnerable populations. Our aim was to conduct a dose-response assessment on a noncarcinogenic endpoint of aflatoxin: immunotoxicological effects. We sought to determine a noncarcinogenic tolerable daily intake (TDI) of aflatoxin, based on the existing data surrounding aflatoxin and biomarkers of immune suppression. To conduct the dose response assessment, mammalian studies were assessed for appropriateness of doses (relevant to potential human exposures) as well as goodness of data, and two appropriate mouse studies that examined decreases in leukocyte counts were selected to generate dose response curves. From these, we determined benchmark dose lower confidence limits (BMDL) as points of departure to estimate a range of TDIs for aflatoxin-related immune impairment: 0.017-0.082 μg/kg bw/day. As aflatoxin is a genotoxic carcinogen, and regulations concerning its presence in food have largely focused on its carcinogenic effects, international risk assessment bodies such as the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) have never established a TDI for aflatoxin. Our work highlights the importance of the noncarcinogenic effects of aflatoxin that may have broader public health impacts, to inform regulatory standard-setting.

Health risk assessment of total exposure from cadmium in South China

Heavy metal pollution and hazards are a global major concern. Heavy metals can be directly or indirectly harmful to humans through ingestion, inhalation, and deraml. According to the literature survey, cadmium (Cd) total exposure assessment and health risk assessment were performed in a population group from South China. Results showed that the Cd contents in PM2.5 and vegetables exceeded national standard limits. The same sources of Cd pollution contributed to different media; the main sources were artificial industrial activities such as electroplating, mining and smelting. The average daily dose of Cd via ingestion exceeded the provisional tolerable monthly intake proposed by the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). Multimedia exposure via all three pathways followed the order 0-5-year-old children (3.26 × 10−3 mg kg−1·d−1)>6-17-year-old children (1.46 × 10−3 mg kg−1·d−1)>adults (1.18 × 10−3 mg kg−1·d−1). The exposure from point source pollution was quite different from the results for nonpoint sources. Ingestion was the exposure pathway that contributes the largest proportion of multipathway and multimedia total exposure, accounting for over 99% of the total exposure in different populations. Staple foods, vegetables and meat were the three main exposure media for ingestion. The hazard quotients of multipathway and multimedia exposure to Cd in different populations were 5.57, 2.87 and 2.26, respectively, all at unacceptable risk levels. This study highlights the importance of multipathway and multimedia in the health risk assessment of heavy metal exposure in South China, and provides risk management measures to reduce noncarcinogenic health risks.

Risk Assessment of some Heavy Metals from Claris gariepinus (African catfish) Consumed in Sharkia Governorate, Egypt

This study was conducted to determine the residual concentrations of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg) and Arsenic (As) in Claris gariepinus from Abou Hammad, Zagazig and Faqous fish markets at Sharkia Governorate, Egypt, to assess such metals dietary intake, and to evaluate the possible health risks linked with the fish consumption. Therefore, ninety Claris gariepinus samples, 30 of each, from Abou Hammad, Zagazig and Faqous fish markets were analyzed using atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). The obtained results showed that, the mean residual concentrations in Clarias gariepinusfrom Abou Hammad, Zagazig and Faqous fish markets were 0.08±0.02, 0.19±0.02 and 0.4±0.06 ppm for Cd, respectively. While, the results of Pb were 0.45±0.07, 0.42±0.04 and 0.51±0.08 ppm, respectively; 0.59±0.15, 1.02±0.08 and 0.15±0.03 ppm for Hg, and 0.74±0.06, 0.69±0.04 and 0.64±0.08 ppm for As. The estimated metals' concentration exceeded the recommended safety limits outlined by Egyptian standards (ES No 7136/2010) for most samples. The total estimated daily intakes (EDI) of Cd, Pb, Hg and As were 1, 3.57, 0.57and 2.14 μg/kg BW/day, respectively, that were less than the tolerable daily intake (TDI) suggested by the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). Referring to the potential health risks of inspected Claris gariepinus, it was valued that the target hazard quotient (THQ) of As of all Claris gariepinus samples from Abou Hammad, Zagazig and Faqous fish markets were 1.34, 1.25, 1.16, respectively. These results were more than 1, representing possible health risks, while THQs of other metals (Pb, Cd, Hg) from Claris gariepinus consumption from all examined areas were lower than 1 as compared to the reference doses. The obtained results give us an alert that the consumer could be under health hazards so that further investigation of Claris gariepinus is recommended at Sharkia Governorate.

Human and animal health risk assessment of metal contamination in soil and plants from Ait Ammar abandoned iron mine, Morocco.

The goal of this paper is to investigate metal pollution in food chain and assess the resulting health risks to native citizens in Ait Ammar village. The results showed that cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and copper (Cu) concentrations in animal organs were above the metal concentration safety limit. Nevertheless, soils and plants from mining area were contaminated with iron (Fe), chromium (Cr), zinc (Zn), and Cr, Cu, Zn respectively. Cd concentrations in almost animal organs were higher than the acceptable daily upper limit, suggesting human consumption of this livestock meat and offal may pose a health risk. The estimated intake of Pb and Cd for Ait Ammar population could be a cause of concern because it exceeded the Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake (PTWI) proposed by Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) in this area. Thus, conducting regular periodic studies to assess the dietary intake of mentioned elements are recommended.

Heavy Metal Dietary Intake and Potential Health Risks for University Hostel Students.

The study was conducted to determine the residual concentration of Cd, Pb, Asand Hg in some foodstuffs served to university students living at hostels of Beni-Suef University (BSU), Egypt, and to estimate the dietary intake of such metals, as well as to assess the potential health risks associated with the consumption of such foods. Therefore, a total of 200 samples, 50 each of, soft cheese, UHT milk, raw broiler carcasses and canned tuna, were periodically collected from university hostels of BSU and examined for the residual levels of these metals using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The obtained results revealed that the mean residual levels of Cd in soft cheese, UHT milk, broiler's meat and canned tuna samples were 0.37, 0.26, 0.089 and 0.093mg/kg, respectively, while those of Pb were 0.187, 0.20, 0.181 and 0.164mg/kg, respectively. Regarding As, they were 0.196, 0.24, 0.14 and 0.201mg/kg, respectively, and Hg mean residual concentration accounted for 0.05, 0.05, 0.117 and 0.235mg/kg, respectively. Some of the examined food samples had heavy metals' concentrations above the international standards. The total weekly dietary intakes of Cd, Pb, As and Hg were 4.99, 5.38, 4.77 and 2.76μg/kg bw/week, respectively, that were comparable to the provisional tolerable weekly intake recommended by the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). The total target hazard quotient (TTHQ) of broiler's meat was over 1 (1.686), thus indicating possible health risks in contrast to the TTHQs of other foodstuffs that were below one.

Reversed-phase HPLC analysis studies of the sweet diterpene glycosides isolated from Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni

High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) studies were performed on the nine sweet steviol glycosides reported in Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) namely rebaudioside A, steviolbioside, stevioside, rubusoside, rebaudioside B, rebaudioside C, rebaudioside D, rebaudioside F, and dulcoside A isolated from the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana. Using Reversed-Phase (RP) HPLC method, individual retention times and area for nine naturally occurring ent-kaurane diterpene glycosides of S. rebaudiana have been determined at various temperatures from 20 °C to 79 °C. HPLC results suggested that temperatures between 40 °C and 60 °C would be ideal conditions for better separation of steviol glycosides. Additional HPLC studies at five different temperatures 40 °C, 45 °C, 50 °C, 55 °C, and 60 °C under three different pH 2.4, 2.6, and 2.8 were performed and results suggested that temperatures 50 °C and 55 °C at pH 2.4 would be ideal condition for better separation of steviol glycosides.

Continuation of Reversed-Phase HPLC Analysis Studies of Steviol Glycosides Isolated From Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni

<p>Additional High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) studies were performed on the nine sweet steviol glycosides reported in Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) namely rebaudioside A, steviolbioside, stevioside, rubusoside, rebaudioside B, rebaudioside C, rebaudioside D, rebaudioside F, and dulcoside A isolated from the leaves of <em>Stevia rebaudiana</em>. Using Reversed-Phase (RP) HPLC method, individual retention times and area for nine naturally occurring <em>ent</em>-kaurane diterpene glycosides of <em>S. rebaudiana</em> have been determined at five different temperatures: 40, 45, 50, 55, and 60 ºC at three different pH 2.4, 2.6, and 2.8. HPLC results suggested that temperatures 50 and 55 ºC at pH 2.4 would be ideal condition for better separation of steviol glycosides.</p>

한국인의 아스파탐과 아세설팜 칼륨의 식이 섭취 수준 평가

The purpose of this study was to assess the consumption of aspartame and acesulfame K, the most frequently utilized artificial sweeteners in Korea. The contents of aspartame and acesulfame K in processed foodstuffs were analyzed by HPLC, and daily intakes according to sex and age were estimated by applying the consumption data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Estimated daily intakes of aspartame and acesulfame K were 58.37 μg/kg bw/day and 14.23 μg/kg bw/day, respectively, in 2012. These amounts constituted 0.15% and 0.09% of the ADI (Acceptable Daily Intake) established by the JECFA (FAO/WHO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives). Estimated daily intakes of aspartame and acesulfame K in the 95 percentile consumption group were 2,510.48 μg/kg bw/day and 761.92 μg/kg bw/day, respectively, and intake levels were 6.28% and 5.08% of the ADI, respectively. In conclusion, daily intake levels of artificial sweeteners were evaluated to be at safe levels.

Estimate of dietary exposure to sulphites in child and adult populations in the Basque Country

Sulphites are widely used as a preservative and antioxidant additive in food. The aim of this study was to assess dietary sulphite intake in adults aged 35–65 years and in children aged 4–18 years living in the Basque Country, northern Spain. We determined sulphite concentrations in 909 samples covering 16 food types. The maximum permitted levels were exceeded in 17% of samples. Making recommended assumptions for non-quantifiable results, estimates of mean lower and upper bounds were calculated for sulphite concentrations in each food type. These sulphite data were combined with consumption data derived from 8417 adults from the European Prospective Investigation in Cancer and Nutrition cohort in Gipuzkoa, recruited in 1992–1995 using a diet history method, and 1055 children from the Basque Country Nutrition Children Survey, conducted in 2004–2005 using two 24-h recall questionnaires to assess diet. The results were compared with the acceptable daily intake (ADI) proposed by the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). The mean dietary exposure to sulphites was 0.08 mg kg−1 bw day−1, only 11% of the ADI in the overall group of children (4–18 years old), but the acceptable intake was exceeded by 4% of 4–6 year olds. For the adults (35–65 years old), the mean dietary exposure was 0.31 mg kg−1 bw day−1, 45% of the ADI, but the acceptable intake was exceeded in 14.6% of cases. The major contributing foods were minced meat and other meat products for children and wine for adults.

Cadmium content in shellfish from the coast of the South China Sea: the risk to human health

In many regions,the marine environment is contaminated with cadmium(Cd),a toxic but widely used industry material.Because shellfish live in the benthos and have a relatively fixed location,their health is largely dependant on the quality of the surrounding environment.A number of researchers have reported finding heavy metals in shellfish samples.Given the importance of shellfish in China,we measured levels of Cd contamination in 5 shellfish species: Crassostrea rivularis,C.gigas,Ruditapes Philippinarum,Perna viridis,and Meretrix meretrix collected from the coast of the South China Sea in 2007 and 2009.We measured the Cd content and evaluated the dietary exposure to Cd from shellfish using the point estimate method.We found significant differ-ences in Cd content among shellfish species.Mean concentrations were 1.80,0.38,0.26,0.15,and 0.12 mg.kg?1 in C.rivularis,C.gigas,P.viridis,M.meretrix,and R.Philippinarum,respectively(range 0.92?2.39 mg.kg?1,0.31?0.46 mg.kg?1,0.21?0.30 mg.kg?1,0.08?0.22 mg.kg?1,and 0.10?0.13 mg.kg?1,respectively).The distribution and seasonal variation in Cd content was correlated with marine environmental factors such as dissolved oxygen,salinity,and temperature.The Cd concentration was higher than the limit for deleterious material by non-environmental pollution of aquatic products in C.rivularis.Conversely,Cd levels were below this limit in the remaining species.In comparison,the levels of Cd were lower than foreign limits for all species.A comparison with survey data collected from other coastal areas in past years suggests the current levels of Cd are within a normal range.Based on our risk assessment,dietary exposure to Cd from consumption of C.rivularis exceeds levels recommended by the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives(JECFA),suggesting there is a risk to hu-man health.Conversely,the other 4 shellfish species likely pose no risk as the Cd levels were lower than the val-ues recommended by JECFA.The ratio of Cd∶Zn was much lower in C.rivularis than the suggested critical value of 0.015 proposed by some authors as effectively providing protection from Cd induced health impacts.Increased intake of bioavailable zinc from C.rivularis reduces excessive cadmium absorption.Therefore,con-sumption of C.rivularis likely does not pose a risk to human health.

Absolute Quantitation of Stevioside and Rebaudioside A in Commercial Standards by Quantitative NMR

The extract prepared from the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana BERTONI (Asteraceae) contains sweet steviol glycosides, mainly stevioside and rebaudioside A. Highly purified stevia extracts have become popular worldwide as a natural, low-calorie sweetener. They contain various types of steviol glycosides, and their main components are stevioside and rebaudioside A. The content of each steviol glycoside is quantified by comparing the ratios of the molecular weights and the chromatographic peak areas of the samples to those of stevioside or rebaudioside A standards of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)/World Health Organization (WHO) Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) and other specifications. However, various commercial standard reagents of stevioside and rebaudioside A are available. Their purities are different and their exact purities are not indicated. Therefore, the measured values of stevioside and rebaudioside A contained in a sample vary according to the standard used for the quantification. In this study, we utilized an accurate method, quantitative NMR (qNMR), for determining the contents of stevioside and rebaudioside A in standards, with traceability to the International System of Units (SI units). The purities of several commercial standards were determined to confirm their actual values.

Human exposure to lead, cadmium and mercury through fish and seafood product consumption in Italy: a pilot evaluation

The presence of selected toxic heavy metals, such as cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg), was investigated in fish and seafood products, namely, blue mussel, carpet shell clam, European squid, veined squid, deep-water rose shrimp, red mullet, European seabass, gilthead seabream, Atlantic cod, European hake, Atlantic bluefin tuna and swordfish so as to assess their human exposure through diet. Metals were detected by quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (Q-ICP-MS) and hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (Hg-AAS). Measurements of Cd, Pb and Hg were performed by means of analytical methods validated in compliance with UNI CEI EN ISO/IEC 17025 [2005. General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories. Milano (Italy): UNI Ente Nazionale Italiano di Unificazione]. The exposure assessment was undertaken matching the levels of Cd, Pb and total Hg with consumption data related to fish and seafood products selected for this purpose. In order to establish human health implications, the estimated weekly intakes (EWIs) for Cd, Pb and Hg were compared with the standard tolerable weekly intakes (TWI) for Cd and provisional tolerable weekly intakes (PTWIs) for Pb and Hg stipulated by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). The found metal concentrations were largely below the maximum levels (MLs) established at the European Union level with the exception of Cd. This metal exceeded the MLs in squid, red mullet, European hake and Atlantic cod. Squid and blue mussel showed the highest Pb concentrations which accounted for 60% and 10% of the MLs, respectively. Highest Hg levels were found in predatory fish. The concentrations of Hg in swordfish, Atlantic bluefin tuna and red mullet accounted for 50%, 30% and 30% of the MLs, respectively. The EWIs for Cd, Pb and Hg related to the consumption of fish and seafood products by the median of the Italian total population accounted for 20%, 1.5% and 10% of the standard TWI for Cd as well as PTWIs for Pb and Hg, respectively. Furthermore, the EWIs estimated using consumption data concerning Italian consumers did not exceed the standard TWI and PTWIs, except for Cd at 95th percentile.

FDA Risk Assessment of Seafood Contamination after the BP Oil Spill

FDA Risk Assessment of Seafood Contamination after the BP Oil Spill

Lead contamination in selected foods from Riyadh city market and estimation of the daily intake.

This study was carried out to determine lead contamination in 104 of the representative food items in the Saudi diet and to estimate the dietary lead intake of Saudi Arabians. Three samples of each selected food items were purchased from the local markets of Riyadh city, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Each pooled sample was analyzed in triplicate by ICP-AES after thorough homogenization. Sweets (0.011–0.199 μg/g), vegetables (0.002–0.195 μg/g), legumes (0.014–0.094 μg/g), eggs (0.079 μg/g), meat and meat products (0.013–0.068 μg/g) were the richest sources of lead. Considering the amounts of each food consumed, the major food sources of lead intake for Saudi can be arranged as follows: vegetables (25.4%), cereal and cereal products (24.2%), beverages (9.7%) sweets (8.2%), legumes (7.4%), fruits (5.4%) milk and milk products (5.1%). The daily intake of lead was calculated taking into account the concentration of this element in the edible part of the daily consumption data which were derived from two sources, (a) the KSA food sheet provided by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and (b) from questionnaires distributed among 300 families in Riyadh city. The results showed that the daily intakes of lead according to the two sources are 22.7 and 24.5 μg/person/day respectively, which are lower than that mentioned by The Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), whereas it is comprabale with that of other countries.

Determination of quinolone residues in tilapias (Orechromis niloticus) by HPLC-FLD and LC-MS/MS QToF

A method for the simultaneous determination of flumequine, oxolinic acid, sarafloxacin, danofloxacin, enrofloxacin, and ciprofloxacin in tilapia (Orechromis niloticus) fillet, using high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD) is presented. The quinolones were extracted from the food matrix with a solution of 10% trichloroacetic acid and methanol (80:20 v/v). Clean-up of the extract was performed using polymeric solid-phase extraction cartridges. Identification of the quinolones was confirmed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The HPLC-FLD method was validated in-house and the following analytical parameters were obtained: linearity higher than 0.99 for all the quinolones; intra- and inter-assay precisions were lower than 3.5% and 10.9%, respectively; and recoveries ranged from 73% to 110%. The limit of quantification was below the maximum residue limit established by the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), which indicates that the method is appropriate for the determination of quinolones in fish fillet.

Dietary exposure to chloropropanols of secondary school students in Hong Kong

This paper reports levels of 3-monochloropropan-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) and 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol (1,3-DCP) in a wide range of food items and estimates their dietary exposure for secondary school students in Hong Kong. Dietary exposure to chloropropanols was estimated using local food consumption data obtained from secondary school students in 2000 and the concentrations of 3-MCPD and 1,3-DCP in food samples taken from the local market. The dietary exposure to 3-MCPD for an average secondary school student consumer was estimated to be 0.063–0.150 µg kg−1 body weight (bw) day−1, whilst that for the high consumer was 0.152–0.300 µg kg−1 bw day−1. Both estimates fell below the provisional maximum tolerable daily intake of 2 µg kg−1 bw established by the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) and amounted to less than 20% of this safety reference value. The dietary exposure to 1,3-DCP for an average secondary school student consumer was estimated to be 0.003–0.019 µg kg−1 bw day−1, whilst that for the high consumer was 0.009–0.040 µg kg−1 bw day−1. The resulting margins of exposures were of low concern for human health. It could be concluded that both the average and high secondary school student consumers were unlikely to experience major toxicological effects of 3-MCPD and 1,3-DCP.

Derivation of Biomonitoring Equivalent (BE) Values for 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-Dioxin (TCDD) and Related Compounds: A Screening Tool for Interpretation of Biomonitoring Data in a Risk Assessment Context

Recent efforts by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other researchers have resulted in a growing database of measured concentrations of dioxins and related compounds in blood samples taken from the general population. However, few tools exist to assist in the interpretation of the measured values in a health risk context. Biomonitoring equivalent (BE) values are defined as the concentration or range of concentrations of a chemical or its metabolite in a biological medium (blood, urine, or other medium) that is consistent with an existing health-based exposure guideline, and are derived by integrating available data on pharmacokinetics with existing chemical risk assessments This study reviews available health based exposure guidance values for 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and related compounds from a variety of agencies including the World Health Organization Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), the European Commission Scientific Committee on Foods (ECSCF), the United Kingdom Committee on Toxicology (UKCOT), and the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) to estimate corresponding BE values for dioxin-like compounds in blood on a serum lipid-adjusted basis. Based on data from the animal studies underlying the exposure guidance values, a serum lipid-adjusted dioxin toxicity equivalent (TEQ) concentration of approximately 15 ppt is consistent with the ATSDR minimal risk level (MRL) for dioxins. Serum lipid-adjusted TEQ concentrations of approximately 31 to 74 ppt are consistent with the tolerable intakes estimated by the other three agencies. These values may be used as screening tools for evaluation of biomonitoring data for dioxins in the context of existing risk assessments and for prioritization of the potential need for additional risk assessment efforts for dioxins.

Methylmercury exposure assessment using dietary and biomarker data among frequent seafood consumers in France: CALIPSO study

Background Seafood is considered by toxicologists as the main source of methylmercury (MeHg), but little data is available concerning contamination of seafood and MeHg status of French frequent consumers. Objectives The objectives were to assess food exposure and biomarker of exposure of MeHg from a group of frequent consumers of seafood. Methods Two approaches to exposure assessment were used: the currently used food intake and the biomarker of exposure. A validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to assess seafood consumptions for 80 products of 385 frequent consumers aged 18 and over in four French coastal areas. Seafood samples were collected in each region considering preservation methods and supply habits according to a total diet study sampling. Food samples were analyzed for MeHg. Exposure was assessed by combining consumptions with contamination data. Whole blood samples were collected from the volunteers and analyzed for MeHg. Results The mean dietary exposure to MeHg or weekly intake (WI FFQ) was 1.51±1.17 μg/kg bw/wk. Thirty-five percent of the subjects exceed the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI), whereas the use of the biological results with the JECFA/Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) one-compartment pharmacokinetic model to calculate weekly intake (WI PKM) shows that only 2% of subjects exceed the PTWI. The mean of the individual ratios WI FFQ/WI PKM is 4.3 and the higher the WI FFQ and the blood MeHg level, the lower is the ratio, close to 1–2. Conclusions These analyses support the assumption that the calculated dose of methylmercury is overestimated with the FFQ-based method used in this study. Since FFQ are commonly used in risk assessments, the overestimate of dose is public health protective and this finding is somewhat reassuring from a public health point of view, especially since the JECFA or EPA have applied uncertainty factors of 3.2 or 3, respectively, to take into account the inter-individual pharmacokinetic variability.