4-Nonylphenol (NP) and bisphenol A (BPA) are phenolic substances used in high volumes by the industry. Studies on cells and in experimental animals have shown that both these compounds can be classified as estrogenic hormone disrupters. Information about the exposure of humans to NP and BPA is still scarce, especially regarding levels in human blood. The first aim of this study was to investigate possible sources of NP and BPA exposure from food, by analyzing the levels of NP and BPA from a Swedish food market basket, based on the Swedish per capita food consumption. A second aim was to investigate blood serum levels of NP and BPA, as well as NP-ethoxylates, among young women in Sweden (n=100). Moreover, associations between food consumption and blood NP and BPA levels were studied. In food, NP was to some extent found at levels above limit of quantification (LOQ 20 ng/g fresh weight) in fruits, cereal products, vegetables, and potatoes. BPA levels above LOQ (2 ng/g fresh weight) were found in fish, meats, potatoes, and dairy products. The estimated mean intakes per capita were (medium bound) 27 µg NP/day and 3.9 µg BPA/day, showing that food is a source of BPA and NP in the general Swedish population. In blood serum, free NP above limit of detection (LOD 0.5 ng/g) was detected in 46% of the study participants while detectable levels of total NP (LOD 0.8 ng/g) were observed in 43%. The corresponding percentages for BPA were 25% and 22%, respectively. The results indicate that there is a continuous source of exposure to NP and BPA that is high enough for free NP and BPA to be detected in some consumers. Among the participants with quantifiable levels of free and total NP (n=38), 85% (median, range: 38-112%) of the NP was present as free NP. For BPA 76% (49-109%) was detected as free BPA (n=15). All women had levels of ethoxylates of NP below LOD (0.1-0.7 ng/g). A significantly higher total consumption of fruits and vegetables was reported in questionnaires by participants with NP levels at or above LOD than among women with levels below LOD. This result is supporting the market basket results of relatively high NP levels in these types of food.
The analysis of scientific data including American and European scientific communities concerning use of ractopamine as a growth factor in food animal production and the argumentation of the maximum permitted levels of ractopamine and levels of ractopamine in meat and byproducts (offal) is carried out. The position of the Russian side stated at the Codex Alimentarius commission 35th session that acceptable ractopamine daily intake is insufficiently validated and cannot be used for the determination of maximum permitted levels of ractopamine in meat and byproducts (offal) is confirmed. It is represented that residual ractopamine intake together with food on the levels which are recommended by the Codex Alimentarius commission and by taking into account the levels of animal products consumption in Russian Federation will lead to unacceptable human health risk level that will promote increasing heart diseases and life expectancy reduction. In this connection Russia states against of acceptance of maximum permitted levels of ractopamine in food.
Ethanol was quantified in canned salmon produced from whole fish showing different stages of decomposition due to storage at 1 and 14 degrees C for up to 3 and 16 days, respectively. Ethanol incidence in the canned salmon was correlated to results from skin aerobic plate counts and sensory evaluations of the whole fish and with sensory evaluations of the canned product. Panelists rejected whole salmon after 3 and 12 days of storage at 14 and 1 degrees C, respectively. Skin aerobic plate counts reached 4.8 log CFU/cm2 when fish were rejected, regardless of storage temperature. Panelists rejected canned salmon produced with fish stored for a maximum of 2 and 16 days at 14 and 1 degrees C, respectively. Ethanol concentrations in the cans produced with fish stored at 14 degrees C correlated well with sensory evaluation results; however, ethanol concentrations in the cans produced with salmon stored at 1 degrees C did not agree with sensory results. A correlation could not be established between ethanol concentration in the canned product and microbial content of whole salmon.
The levels of aluminium have been determined in a number of individual foodstuffs on the Swedish market and in 24 h duplicate diets collected by women living in the Stockholm area. The results show that the levels in most foods are very low and that the level in vegetables can vary by a factor 10. Beverages from aluminium cans were found to have aluminium levels not markedly different from those in glass bottles. Based on the results of the analysis of individual foods, the average Swedish daily diet was calculated to contain about 0.6 mg aluminium, whereas the mean content of the collected duplicate diets was 13 mg. A cake made from a mix containing aluminium phosphate in the baking soda was identified as the most important contributor of aluminium to the duplicate diets. Tea and aluminium utensils were estimated to increase the aluminium content of the diets by approximately 4 and 2 mg/day, respectively. The results also indicate that a considerable amount of aluminium must be introduced from other sources.
Overland transport of ore concentrate from the Red Dog lead/zinc mine in northwest Alaska to its seaport has historically raised concerns among local subsistence users regarding the potential impacts of fugitive dust from the operation, including the potential uptake of metals into caribou meat. Caribou are an integral part of life for northern Alaska Natives for both subsistence and cultural reasons. The Western Arctic caribou herd, whose range includes the Red Dog mine, transportation corridor, and port site, sometimes overwinter in the vicinity of mine operations. A weight of evidence approach using multiple lines of evidence was used to evaluate potential risks associated with subsistence consumption of caribou harvested near the road and mine. Data from a long-term caribou monitoring program indicate a lack of consistent trends for either increasing or decreasing metals concentrations in caribou muscle, liver, and kidney tissue. Lead, cadmium, and zinc from all tissues were within the range of reference concentrations reported for caribou elsewhere in Northern Alaska. In addition, a site use study based on data from satellite-collared caribou from the Western Arctic Herd showed that caribou utilize the area near the road, port, and mine approximately 1/20th to 1/90th of the time assumed in a human health risk assessment conducted for the site, implying that risks were significantly overestimated in the risk assessment. The results from multiple lines of evidence consistently indicate that fugitive dust emissions from Red Dog Operations are not a significant source of metals in caribou, and that caribou remain safe for human consumption.
Exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticides through traditional food resources was examined for Arctic Indigenous women living in two cultural and environmental areas of the Canadian Arctic--one community representing Baffin Island Inuit in eastern Arctic and two communities representing Sahtú Dene/Métis in western Arctic. Polychlorinated biphenyls, toxaphene, chlorobenzenes, hexachlorocyclohexanes, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, chlordane-related compounds and dieldrin were determined in local food resources as normally prepared and eaten. Quantified dietary recalls taken seasonally reflected normal consumption patterns of these food resources by women in three age groups: 20-40 y, 41-60 y and > or = 61 y. There was wide variation of intake of all organochlorine contaminants in both areas and among age groups for the Sahtú. Fifty percent of the intake recalls collected from the Baffin Inuit exceeded the acceptable daily intake for chlordane-related compounds and toxaphene, and a substantial percentage of the intake records for dieldrin and polychlorinated biphenyls exceeded the acceptable or tolerable daily intake levels. Primary contributing foods to organochlorine contaminants intake for the Baffin Inuit were meat and blubber of ringed seal, blubber of walrus and mattak and blubber of narwal. Important foods contributing organochlorine contaminant to the Sahtú Dene/Métis were caribou, whitefish, inconnu, trout and duck. The superior nutritional benefits and potential health risks of traditional food items are reviewed, as are implications for monitoring organochlorine contaminant contents of food, clinical symptoms and food use.
The aim of this study was to evaluate loss of information from a reduced food frequency questionnaire as compared with an extensive reference method developed to assess the intake of heterocyclic amines (HCAs). Food frequency data were linked to concentrations of HCAs in cooked foods to estimate the individual daily exposure to a combination of five HCAs. The number of food items in the questionnaire was reduced and selected in three ways: (a) according to the contribution to the estimated total intake; (b) the between-person variance; or (c) dishes included in other studies. The effect on sensitivity, specificity, concordance, the correlation coefficient, kappa, and simulated relative risks was determined using information from a population-based study conducted in Stockholm. Only a limited amount of misclassification was introduced when the number of dishes was reduced from 39 to 15 or 20, and no major difference was seen when dishes were selected according to the total intake or the between-person variance. Our data indicate that for a specific exposure, such as HCAs, the loss of accuracy in an analytical epidemiological study is small and may not be relevant when the number of dishes in a food frequency questionnaire is decreased, if the initially chosen dishes are carefully selected and cover a reasonable part of the total intake or between-person variance.
Chronic metal toxicity is a concern in the Canadian Arctic because of the findings of high metal levels in wildlife animals and the fact that traditional food constitutes a major component of the diet of indigenous peoples. We examined exposure to trace metals through traditional food resources for Inuit living in the community of Qikiqtarjuaq on Baffin Island in the eastern Arctic. Mercury, cadmium, and lead were determined in local food resources as normally prepared and eaten. Elevated concentrations of mercury ( > 50 micrograms/100 g) were found in ringed seal liver, narwhal mattak, beluga meat, and beluga mattak, and relatively high concentrations of cadmium and lead ( > 100 micrograms/100 g) were found in ringed seal liver, mussels, and kelp. Quantified dietary recalls taken seasonally reflected normal consumption patterns of these food resources by adult men and women ( > 20 years old) and children (3-12 years old). Based on traditional food consumption, the average daily intake levels of total mercury for both adults (65 micrograms for women and 97 micrograms for men) and children (38 micrograms) were higher than the Canadian average value (16 micrograms). The average weekly intake of mercury for all age groups exceeded the intake guidelines (5.0 micrograms/kg/day) established by the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization Expert Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants. The primary foods that contributed to metal intake for the Baffin Inuit were ringed seal meat, caribou meat, and kelp. We review the superior nutritional benefits and potential health risks of traditional food items and implications for monitoring metal contents of food, clinical symptoms, and food use.
Atherogenesis. An epidemiological model based on the presence of unnatural trans and cis isomers of unsaturated fatty acids in the maternal diet and in mothers milk.
The hypothesis that the presence of unnatural trans and cis isomers of unsaturated fatty acids in the maternal diet and in human mothers milk could be responsible for initiating atherosclerosis in utero or in infants is proposed. It is suggested that the key etiological factor involved in the formation of atherosclerotic plaques could be uncontrolled division of smooth muscle cells of the intima resulting from the intracellular excess of linoleic acid and deficiency of its metabolites gamma-linolenic acid and dihomogamma-linolenic acid. This imbalance is brought about by competitive inhibition of the enzyme delta-6-desaturase by unnatural trans and cis unsaturated fatty acids. Delta-6-desaturase is the enzyme responsible for converting linoleic acid to dihomogamma-linolenic acid. The cellular presence of unnatural trans and cis isomers of unsaturated fatty acids would therefore enhance increased levels of linoleic acid and deficiency of its metabolites gamma-linolenic acid and dihomogamma-linolenic acid. It is proposed that prophylaxis against the effects of delta-6-desaturase inhibition could be achieved by the adoption of an Eskimo-like diet containing the essential fatty acid metabolites gamma-linolenic acid and/or dihomogamma-linolenic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid per se in high concentrations.
