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Food as a source of polycyclic aromatic carcinogens
M D Guillén1, P Sopelana, M A Partearroyo
1Faculty of Pharmacy, Basque Country University, Vitoria, Spain.
Reviews on Environmental Health
|July 1, 1997
Summary
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are mutagenic compounds found in food due to pollution and processing. Reducing PAH in food is crucial as their toxicity is hard to predict and linked to cancer.
Area of Science:
- Food safety and toxicology
- Environmental health
- Chemical carcinogenesis
Background:
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are a diverse group of compounds with known mutagenic and carcinogenic properties.
- PAH contamination occurs in raw foods via environmental pollution and in processed foods through specific food handling procedures.
- Toxicological and epidemiological data link PAH exposure to increased tumor development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the sources and implications of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in foodstuffs.
- To highlight the challenges in predicting PAH toxicity due to biotransformation processes.
- To emphasize the need for minimizing PAH presence in the food supply.
Main Methods:
- Review of toxicological and epidemiological studies on PAH.
- Analysis of PAH sources in raw and processed foods.
- Discussion of PAH biotransformation pathways and their impact on toxicity.
Main Results:
- PAH are present in various foods, originating from environmental pollution and food processing methods.
- Biotransformation of PAH generates active metabolites, complicating toxicity assessment.
- Predicting a safe threshold for PAH exposure is challenging due to variable metabolic activation.
Conclusions:
- Minimizing PAH exposure in foodstuffs is essential for public health.
- Controlling environmental contamination and refining food processing techniques are key strategies.
- Reducing PAH to the lowest possible levels is recommended given the difficulties in predicting their toxicological impact.