Food and the Environment

Polycychc aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are carcinogens produced by the thermal breakdown of organic materials. These are widely distributed in both food and the environment, and are some of the principal carcinogens in cigarette tar and air pollution. Of over 20 PAHs isolated, benzopyrene and quinoline compounds are the most commonly encountered in foods, particularly those which are broiled or fried (111). Shellfish living in petroleum contaminated waters may also contain PAHs (112). 

M. Vandedaan and co-workers. Immunoassaysfor Trace Chemical Analysis Monitoring Toxic Chemicals in Humans, Food and the Environment, ACS Symposium Series 451, American Chemical Society, Washington, D.C., 1991. 

Measurement ofKadionuclides in Food and the Environment M Guidebook, IAEA, Vienna, Austria, 1989. 

The scalping of flavor and aroma by a package can be minimised by placing a barrier material as near as possible to the food. The ingress of undesirable permeants from the environment can be minimised by placing a barrier polymer between the food and the environment, not necessarily near the food. 

R. C. Massey and D. Taylor (eds.). Aluminium in Food and the Environment. Royal Soeiety of Chemistry (London) Speeial Publ. No. 73, 1989, 116 pp. 

FAOAVHO. 1989. Pesticide residues in food. Report of the 1989 Joint Meeting of the FAO Panel of Experts on Pesticide Residues in Food and the Environment and the WHO Expert Group on Pesticide Residues. Geneva, Switzerland Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations and World Health Organization. FAO Plant Production and Protection Paper 100/2, 95-115. 

Reference materials for radioisotopes have mainly been used for purposes relating to nuclear and radiation safety. Historically, the development of such materials first arose from the need to assess the risk to human populations caused by worldwide contamination of food and the environment as a consequence of atomic bomb testing - particularly from bombs exploded in the atmosphere. Even now, although atmospheric testing ceased many years ago, the residues from these tests still remain the main source of radionuclides such as Cs and °Sr in the global environment (though locally, other sources may be more important in some countries). 

SEPA. 2000. Radioactivity in food and the environment, 1999 (RIFE-5). Scottish Environment Protection Agency, 33... 

Stanker LH, Watkins B, Vanderlaan M, et al. 1989. Analysis of heptachlor and related cyclodiene insecticides in food products. In Vanderlaan M, ed. ACS (American Chemical Society) Symposium Series, 451. Immunoassays for trace chemical analysis Monitoring toxic chemicals in humans, food and the environment Meeting, Honolulu, Hawaii, December 17-22. Washington, DC American Chemical Society, 108-123. 

The short-term actions include (1) establishment of a priority list of substances for further evaluation of their role in endocrine disruption monitoring levels of suspect chemicals in food and the environment (2) identification of vulnerable groups of people (such as children) who need to be given special consideration (3) establishment of an international network to enable information exchange and coordination of research and testing and (4) communication with the public and continuing consultation with stakeholders. 

Tiede, K., Boxall, A.B.A., Tear, S.P., Lewis, J., David, H., Hassellov, M. (2008). Detection and characterization of engineered nanoparticles in food and the environment. Food Additives and Contaminants, 25, 795-821. 

The basic procedures for sanitization of fresh food and the environment with chemical agents are considered effective for the destruction of T. cruzi cells 1% sodium hypochlorite (1 h), gentian violet 1 4000 (24 h), and 70% ethanol (Dias, 2006). 

The enormous cost of multiple-species, multiple-dose, lifetime evaluations of chronic effects has already made the task of carrying out hazard assessments of all chemicals in commercial use impossible. At the same time, quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) studies are not yet predictive enough to indicate which chemicals should be so tested and which chemicals need not be tested. In exposure assessment, continued development of analytical methods will permit ever more sensitive and selective determinations of toxicants in food and the environment, as well as the effects of chemical mixtures and the potential for interactions that affect the ultimate expression of toxicity. Developments in QSARs, in short-term tests based on the expected mechanism of toxic action and simplification of chronic testing procedures, will all be necessary if the chemicals to which the public and the environment are exposed are to be assessed adequately for their potential to cause harm. 

European Union. 2006. Press Release NewGeneris A New European Research Project on Children s Health, Food and the Environment [online]. Available http //www.euractiv. com/29/images/NewGeneris pr tcm29-152906.doc [accessed April 24, 2006]. 

Dioxins in food and the environment have been intensively studied over the past twenty years (see for example Steering Group on Chemical Aspects of Food Surveillance, 1992a). The term dioxins has come to be used for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and in some cases also polychlorinated dibenzofurans. Both of these are ubiquitous environmental contaminants. They are highly resistant to breakdown in the environment. They are particularly difficult to study because of the large number of substances involved and the very low levels of detection needed. Nevertheless, much surveillance work has been done on polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, particularly 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-... 

FUhr, F., In Agrochemicals Fate in Food and the Environment, IAEA Vienna, 99-111 (1982). 

Amico A, Natale C, Verona E (1997) Acoustic devices. In Kress Rogers (ed) Handbook of Biosensors and Electronic Noses, Medicine, Food, and the Environment. CRC, Boca Raton, p 197... 

In the last part of the book some examples are reported on the importance of the contribution of chemical studies to fields that are of increasing concern for the public opinion such as health, food, and the environment. One of these describes investigation of the protein-tannin interaction in order to better understand organoleptic properties of foodstuffs, and in particular those of red wine. 

Tejada, A.W. (1995) Pesticide residues in foods and the environment as a consequence of crop protection. Philipp. J. Agric. 78, 63-79. Tejada, A.W., Magallona, E.D. (1985) Fate of carbosulfan in a rice paddy environment. Philipp. Entomol. 6, 255-273. 

Formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is one of the most common aldehydes in foods and the environment. Formaldehyde is also an important air pollutant in a variety of industrial and domestic atmospheres (13). 

In spite of the increasing interest in monitoring the levels of formaldehyde in foods and the environment, there is no satisfactory, simple method available for the determination of trace quantities of formaldehyde. Many laboratories have attempted to develop a method for determining trace quantities of formaldehyde in various samples. The conventional methods used most widely are shown in Table I. 

IAEA Measurement of radionuclides in food and the environment A guidebook. IAEA, Vienna (1989)... 

M. Vanderlaan, L.H. Stanker, B.E. Watkins and D.W. Roberts, (Eds.) Immunoassays for trace chemical analysis monitoring toxic chemicals in humans, food, and the environment, American Chemical Society, Washington DC (1991). 

To ensure that any radioactivity in food and the environment due to authorised radioactive releases and discharges do not compromise public health or the environment, undertaken by assessing critical group doses and comparing them to legal limits. 

The combined results from the surveillance programmes are reported in the joint UK regulators annual Radioactivity in Food and the Environment (RIFE) series of reports. The most recent report is RIFE 11, which provides all information for the monitoring carried out in 2005. ... 

Radioactivity in Food and the Environment, 2005. RIFE 11, (2006). Environment Agency, Environment and Heritage Service, Food Standards Agency and Scottish Environment Protection Agency. Bristol, Belfast, London and Stirling. 

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