Food additives health problems

Despite the use of 2.5 million tons of pesticide worldwide, approximately 35% of potential crop production is lost to pests. An additional 20% is lost to pests that attack the food post-harvest. Thus, nearly one-half of all potential world food supply is lost to pests despite human efforts to prevent this loss. Pesticides, in addition to saving about 10% of world food supply, cause serious environmental and public health problems. These problems include human pesticide poisonings fish and bird kills destruction of beneficial natural enemies pesticide resistance contamination of food and water with pesticide residues and inadvertent destruction of some crops. 

From this analysis it is clear that in addition to their benefits, the use of pesticides in food production not only causes serious public health problems but also considerable damage to vital agricultural and natural ecosystems in the United States and world. A conservative estimate suggests that the environmental and social costs of pesticide use in the United States total about 4 billion each year. Worldwide the yearly environmental and public health costs are probably at least 100 billion. This is several times the 18 bllllon/yr spent on pesticides in the world. 

This chapter begins by discussing how consumer perceptions of risks associated with food additives compare to other food-related health risks. It then addresses the US government s system for monitoring adverse reactions from food additives. The bulk of the chapter focuses on additives that have been blamed for causing health problems and which have generated controversy in the US and other countries. Finally, there is a brief discussion of future trends and additional sources of information are provided. 

The United States is one of the only countries that has established a formal surveillance system for post-approval monitoring of adverse reactions to food additives. Despite the obvious limitations of a passive surveillance system, ARMS provides an important venue for the public and others to report health problems perceived to be related to food additives. It provides a means of spotting potential longer-term problems with additives which can then be investigated further. 

Although the benefits of many functional ingredients have yet to be proven, there is a possibility for new health problems to arise if the market for fortified functional foods continues to expand. Some consumers may ingest excessive amounts of certain nutritional food additives such as iron, which could lead to an increased incidence of hemachromatosis in genetically predisposed people. Fortification with specific carotenoids may competitively inhibit the bioavailability of other carotenoids, perhaps leading to adverse physiological consequences. 

There is little toxicological data available for extracts of carrots, alfalfa, com oil, palm oil, tomatoes, etc. The JECFA had no objections to their use as food colorants provided that the levels of use did not exceed that normally present in vegetables. A number of toxicity experiments were conducted on Dimaliella algae in view of its increasing importance in the health food area. Twelve studies on D. salina indicated no problems. ( is beta-carotene was absorbed to a lesser extent than trans beta-carotene. Furahashi suggested a no-observed-effect level (NOEL) of 2.5 g kg/day for extracts from D. Hardawil 2 The Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives of the World Health Organization/United Nations (JECFA) did not establish an NOEL or an ADI because of the variation in the composition of the products. 

The underlying problem caused by using food additives in foodstuffs is their effect on health safety of food consumers. Extremely divergent approaches appear in this context. Some neglect the effect of food additives in health because of their small concentration in food products and also because many of them have been widely used for centuries while others consider food additives as a great threat to human health. 

List of Some New Food Additives Approved to Use in Australia, Which can Potentially Cause Health Problems in Humans... 

Neurotoxicity is the result of improper (careless) use, handling, and negligence in the management of chemical substances such as metals, food additives, pesticides, industrial solvents, cosmetics, radiation treatment, and drug therapies. Depending upon route and dose of exposure, the symptoms of neurotoxicity appear immediately after exposure or are delayed. The symptoms include limb weakness or numbness loss of memory, vision, and/or intellect headache cognitive and behavioral problems and sexual dysfunction. Children and workers with certain existing health disorders are more vulnerable to the adverse effects of neurotoxic chemicals. 

Foodborne diseases are a widespread and growing public health problem, both in developed and developing countries. The global incidence of foodborne disease is difficult to estimate, but it has been reported that in the year 2000 alone, 2.1 million people died from diarrheal diseases. A great proportion of these cases can he attributed to contamination of food and drinking water. Additionally, diarrhea is a major cause of malnutrition in infants and young children. 

Cholera is a major public health problem in developing countries and has caused enormous economic losses. The disease is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. In addition to water, contaminated foods can be the vehicle of infection. Different foods, including rice, vegetables, millet gruel, and various types of seafood have been implicated in outbreaks of cholera. Symptoms include abdominal pain, vomiting, and profuse watery diarrhea and may lead to severe dehydration and possibly death, unless fluid and salt are replaced. 

More information on the use of Stevia in different covmtries can be found in the List of Food Additives excluding chemical s)mthetics (Japanese Ministery of Health and Welfare). The consumption of Stevia leaves in 1989 is given for different countries Japan (2000 tons/year), Brazil (600 tons/year), China (400 tons/year). South Korea (300-400 tons/year), Thailand (100 tons/year), Taiwan (Formosa) (small quantities), Paraguay (150 tons/year) and Argentina (60 tons/year). Even in Belgium, England and The Netherlands several tons of dried leaves have been consumed. In 1989 the (known) world production was estimated at 4100 tons/year. No problems have been published in scientific literature... 

---