Food poisoning contaminated medicines

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids poison animals grazing on toxic wild plants and those fed contaminated feed, causing economic losses. They poison humans through deliberate consumption of certain foods and herbal medicines and through consumption of food contaminated by wild plants, such as via transport of the toxins by bees into honey. Analytical methods are required for different purposes - to detect the presence of pyrrolizidine alkaloids, to quantify the total level of the toxins, or to measure the quantity of individual compounds. The task is made more challenging by the variety of PAs, their widespread nature and their different forms. Analytical methods are based on color reactions, enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELlSAs), spectroscopy, and the full range of chromatographic techniques. A lack of reference standards and... 

Throughout history, there have been extortion activities during which toxic chemicals have been used. For example, at the end of 1982, there were seven fatal cases of cyanide poisoning after the ingestion of acetamino-phene-tampered capsules. McNeil Consumer Products had to destroy approximately 22 million units and changed the production from capsules to tablets that were more difficult to tamper with (Dunea, 1983 Wolnik et al., 1984). Those responsible were never identified, and some imitators in the United States started contaminating medicines and food products with toxic chemical substances. 

Mistaken labelling of alimentary products Accidental overdose of prescription medicines Accidental ingestion of poisonous plants and animals Ingestion of food products contaminated with toxins Industrial contamination, e.g. cooking oils, Minamata disease Excessive ingestion of recreational agents (e.g. alcohol)... 

Outbreaks of pyrrolizidine poisonings in humans have occurred and have generally been associated with contaminated grain used for meal or bread. The pyrrolizidines have also been detected in comfrey teas (Roitman, 1981) commonly available at herbal medicine and health food stores. The possibility of the occurrence of pyrrolizidine residues in meat or milk of livestock consuming toxic plants exists, but no toxic responses in humans from this source has been reported (Peterson and Culvenor, 1983). 

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