Reduced intake of deoxynivalenol in The Netherlands: a risk assessment update

In 1998 and 1999, wheat contained high levels of deoxynivalenol (DON) in The Netherlands. Eighty percent of the 1-year-old children exceeded the TDI (20% exceeded 2TDI). Assuming a long-term intake a negative effect on body weight might be possible. In 1999 the Dutch government took several risk management measures. We performed a probabilistic exposure and effect assessment and compared current and previous DON exposure and potential health effects for young children. The DON contamination of wheat was reduced for 50%. The estimated DON-intake was reduced to one-third of the previous levels. One-year-old children showed the highest DON-intake with a median of 0.46 microg/kgbw/day (95th percentile: 1.00 microg/kgbw/day). The probabilistic effect assessment showed that at the 95th percentile of DON-intake a reduced body weight was unlikely to exceed 9%. Taking into account the possible (partly) reversibility of this effect we conclude that no clear adverse health effects will be associated to the exposure (February 2000-December 2002) to DON in The Netherlands.