Risk and benefit assessment of herring and salmonid fish from the Baltic Sea Area

This report is an English translation of a report published in Swedish 2011. The aim of this risk and benefit assessment is to determine the public health consequences of 2 different risk management options: a continuation of the Swedish exemption from maximum limits of dioxins/PCBs for certain fish from the Baltic Sea area, or a cessation of the exemption. The assessment is focused on children and women in childbearing age, important risk groups for negative health effect of dioxin/PCB exposure. Possible health benefits of consumption of fish due to intake of long-chain fatty acids EPA+DHA and vitamin D were also considered. About 6% of women in childbearing age is estimated to consume BS herring twice a month or more, which is related to dioxin/PCB intake above the tolerable weekly intake. When scaled to the total Swedish population, this represents about 100,000 women in the ages of 18-45 with high consumption. About 4-5% of children in Sweden consume BS herring once a month or more, corresponding to about 45,000 children in Sweden. Scenario calculations suggest that a continued exemption from the maximum limits for BS herring can, in the worst case, result in thousands of more children and young women exceeding the TWI than would be the case if Sweden had no exemption. For wild salmonid fish from the Baltic Sea area TWI is exceeded at an average consumption of a few portions a month among women in childbearing ages. Among children the TWI is exceeded already at a regular consumption of less than once a month. A cessation of the exemption would not lead to any limitations of the beneficial intake of nutrients, since BS herring and salmon not complying with the maximum limits would be replaced by BS herring and salmon complying with the limits. In conclusion, a cessation of the exemption from maximum limits would be more beneficial from a public health point-of view than a continued exemption

Discovery and characterisation of dietary patterns in two Nordic countries. Using non-supervised and supervised multivariate statistical techniques to analyse dietary survey data

This Nordic study encompasses multivariate data analysis (MDA) of preschool Danish as well as pre- and elementary school Swedish consumers. Contrary to other counterparts the study incorporates two separate MDA varieties - Pattern discovery (PD) and predictive modelling (PM). PD, i.e. hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and factor analysis (using PCA), helped identifying distinct consumer aggregations and relationships across food groups, respectively, whereas PM enabled the disclosure of deeply entrenched associations. 17 clusters - here defined as dietary prototypes - were identified by means of HCA in the entire bi-national data set. These prototypes underwent further processing, which disclosed several intriguing consumption data relationships: Striking disparity between consumption patterns of Danish and Swedish preschool children was unveiled and further dissected by PM. Two prudent and mutually similar dietary prototypes appeared among each of two Swedish elementary school children data subsets. Dietary prototypes rich in sweetened soft beverages appeared among Danish and Swedish children alike. The results suggest prototype-specific risk assessment and study design

A Signal-to-Noise Crossover Dose as the Point of Departure for Health Risk Assessment

Background: The U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP) cancer bioassay database provides an opportunity to compare both existing and new approaches to determining points of departure (PoDs) for establishing reference doses (RfDs)

Histoplasmosis Cluster, Golf Course, Canada

We report a cluster of 4 cases of acute histoplasmosis (1 culture proven and 3 with positive serology, of which 2 were symptomatic) associated with exposure to soil during a golf course renovation. Patients in western Canada with compatible symptoms should be tested for histoplasmosis, regardless of their travel or exposure history

Assessment of an application on a detoxification process of groundnut press cake for aflatoxins by ammoniation

12 p.-2 fig.-2 tab.Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM) provided a scientific opinion on an application for a detoxification process of groundnut press cake for aflatoxins by ammoniation. Specifically, it is required that the feed decontamination process is compliant with the acceptability criteria specified in the Commission Regulation (EU) 2015/786 of 19 May 2015. The CONTAM Panel assessed the data provided by the feed business operator with respect to the efficacy of the process to remove the contaminant from groundnut press cake batches and on information demonstrating that the process does not adversely affect the characteristics and the nature of the product. Although according to the literature the process may be able to reduce aflatoxin levels below the legal limits, the Panel concluded that the proposed decontamination process, on the basis of the experimental data submitted by the feed business operator, cannot be confirmed for compliance with the acceptability criteria provided for in Commission Regulation (EU) 2015/786 of 19 May 2015. The Panel recommended sufficient sample testing before and after the process, under the selected conditions, to ensure that the process is reproducible and reliable and to demonstrate that the detoxification is not reversible. In addition, genotoxicity testing of extracts of the treated feedingstuff and of the identified degradation products would be necessary. Finally, information on the transfer rate of AFB1 to AFM1 excretion in milk for animals fed the ammoniated product, in comparison to the starting material and on the ammoniation process changes of the nutritional values of the feed material should be provided.The Panel wishes to thank Federico Cruciani and Carina Wenger for the support provided to this scientific output, and the hearing expert Professor Dr Wayne L Bryden, for the overview on aflatoxin inactivation by ammoniation.Peer reviewe

Evaluation of the shucking of certain species of scallops contaminated with domoic acid with a view to the production of edible parts meeting the safety requirements foreseen in the Union legislation

Acknowledgements: The Panel wishes to thank the following hearing experts for the support provided to this scientific output: Marina Nicolas and Micheal O'Mahony. The Panel wishes to acknowledge all European competent institutions, Member State bodies and other organisations that provided data for this scientific output.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Risk assessment of chlorinated paraffins in feed and food

The Panel wishes to thank the hearing expert: Kerstin Krätschmer and EFSA staff member: Kelly Niermans for the support provided to this scientific output. The CONTAM Panel acknowledges all European competent institutions and other stakeholders that provided occurrence data in food and human milk and data on the toxicity of CPs, and supported the data collection for the Comprehensive European Food Consumption Database.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Evaluation of the shucking of certain species of scallops contaminated with lipophilic toxins with a view to the production of edible parts meeting the safety requirements foreseen in the Union legislation

Acknowledgements: The Panel wishes to thank the following hearing experts for the supportprovided to this scientic output: Laurent Guillier, Mari na Nicolas and Micheal O’Mahony. ThePanel wishes to acknowledge all European competent institutions, Member State bodies and otherorganisations that provided data for this scientic outputPeer reviewedPublisher PD

Update of the risk assessment of hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDDs) in food

Panel members: Margherita Bignami, Laurent Bodin, James Kevin Chipman, Jesus del Mazo, BettinaGrasl-Kraupp, Christer Hogstrand, Laurentius (Ron) Hoogenboom, Jean-Charles Leblanc, Carlo StefanoNebbia, Elsa Nielsen, Evangelia Ntzani, Annette Petersen, Salomon Sand, Dieter Schrenk, TanjaSchwerdtle, Christiane Vleminckx and Heather Wallace Requestor: European Commission Question number: EFSA‐Q‐2018‐00433 Acknowledgements: The Panel wishes to thank the hearing experts: Cathy Fernandes and Henri Schroeder, and EFSA staff members: Kelly Niermans and Federico Cruciani, for the support provided to this scientific output. The Panel wishes to acknowledge all European competent institutions and Member State bodies that provided consumption and occurrence data for this scientific output. Data: All annexes on occurrence and exposure data, as well as the protocol used to produce this Scientific opinion, cross‐referenced in the text, are available on the EFSA Knowledge Junction at: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4475651Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Risk assessment of aflatoxins in food

© 2020 European Food Safety Authority. EFSA Journal published by John Wiley and Sons Ltd on behalf of European Food Safety Authority.Peer reviewedPublisher PD