Action in cases of suspected chemical food poisoning

Chemical food poisoning is a periodic menace both for the health of the consumers and for trade. It can be intentional or unintentional. In the latter case, poisoning may have a very large attack rate and it may be caused by sophistication (e.g., the methanol poisoning in Italy in 1985) or by environmental pollution (e.g., the Iraq accident in 1971-1972 due to mercury-contaminated flour). As a general statement, they are acute events, often noticed by outbreaks of unexplained deaths or sickness. The purposed lines for intervention (monitoring and biological testing) and some related problems are briefly described. Emphasis is placed on biological of suspected food items by a sensitive method to detect the presence of a noxious agent of unknown origin. The basic principle is to administer the highest amount possible of the suspected food to two different species of rodents for 5 days. Finally it should be noted that the characteristics and severity of every episode depend on the food and the chemical involved; thus only general suggestions may be given.