Caramel colour and process contaminants in foods and beverages, part II : occurrence data and exposure assessment of 2-acetyl-4-(1,2,3,4-tetrahydroxybutyl)imidazole (THI) and 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI) in Belgium

In Europe, 2-acetyl-4-(1,2,3,4-tetrahydroxybutyl)imidazole (THI) and 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI) are - to a certain level - allowed to be present in the food colours ammonia caramel (E 150c) and sulphite ammonia caramel (E 150d). Besides their presence in food colours, exposure to these contaminants may also include other dietary sources. This study describes the occurrence of THI and 4-MEI in a wide variety of food products (n = 522) purchased from the Belgian market and their dietary intake in Belgian consumers from 15 years old onwards. THI was found to be present in 22.4% of the investigated foods at a level up to 551 mu g/kg. For 4-MEI (57.7% quantifiable), concentrations up to 2,835 mu g/kg were observed. The average dietary intake amounted to 0.02-0.36 mu g kg(-1) bw(-1) day for THI and 0.4-3.7 mu g kg(-1) bw(-1) day for 4-MEI. Coffee, cola and beer were contributing most to the dietary THI and 4-MEI intake in Belgium

An overview of knowledge concerning diffuse lead contamination in the soil

Recent gepubliceerd onderzoek bevestigt dat lood in de bodem ook bij lage blootstelling een risico kan zijn voor de gezondheid van jonge kinderen (lagere IQ). Bovendien blijkt dat bij hogere blootstellingsniveaus aan lood dit ook bij volwassenen gezondheidsproblemen kan veroorzaken. Voorbeelden zijn nierfalen en hart- en vaatziekten. Het is daarom belangrijk om met maatregelen de blootstelling te verkleinen op plekken waar lood in de bodem zit. De wetenschappelijke literatuur bevestigt de uitgangspunten waarop het Nederlandse en Vlaamse bodembeleid voor lood is gebaseerd. Waar het niet mogelijk is om de bodem schoon te maken of af te graven, krijgen mensen adviezen over hoe zij de blootstelling kunnen verminderen. Bijvoorbeeld over hoe ze hun huis kunnen schoonmaken (vaker en met een dweil in plaats van statische doekjes). Aanbevolen wordt om verder te onderzoeken welke maatregelen hiervoor effectief zijn. Zo kan het toevoegen van compost aan de grond ervoor zorgen dat het lood aan de bodemdeeltjes 'vastzit' waardoor voorkomen wordt dat het lood in planten of het menselijk lichaam wordt opgenomen. Dit gebeurt echter alleen onder bepaalde omstandigheden, waardoor de effectiviteit per locatie verschilt. Dit blijkt uit een literatuurstudie van het RIVM en de Vlaamse onderzoeksorganisatie VITO naar de kennis over gezondheidsrisico's van diffuus lood in de bodem. De studie is uitgevoerd om de kennis up to date te houden en adequaat te kunnen adviseren over deze bodemverontreinigingen. Bij diffuus bodemlood gaat het om grotere gebieden met concentraties lood die door de jaren heen zijn ontstaan door menselijk handelen, bijvoorbeeld door industriële activiteiten of door land op te hogen met afvalstoffen. Door de grote hoeveelheid verontreinigingen en de kosten is het niet mogelijk om al deze vervuilde grond af te graven. Nederland en Vlaanderen zoeken daarom naar praktische en haalbare oplossingen.Recently published research confirms that lead in the soil can also be a risk for the health of young children (lower IQ) even with low exposure. Moreover, it appears that higher exposure levels to lead can also cause health problems in adults. Examples include renal failure and cardiovascular disease. That is why it is important to take measures to reduce exposure at locations where lead is present in the soil. Scientific literature confirms the starting points on which Dutch and Flemish soil policy is based. At locations where remediation or excavation of the soil is not possible, people are advised on how to reduce exposure by, for instance, cleaning their houses often and using a wet mop instead of static wipes. More research into what measures are effective in this respect is recommended. The addition of compost to the soil, for example, can introduce adhesion of the lead to the soil particles, thus preventing the uptake of lead in plants and the human body. However, this only takes place under certain conditions so that the effectiveness of this measure differs according to the location. These are the findings of a literature review, implemented by RIVM and the Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), of the knowledge on health risks from diffuse lead contamination in the soil. The study was carried out to update the knowledge on this soil contamination and so that adequate advice can be given regarding the issue. Human actions, such as industrial activities and land reclamation with waste, have caused diffuse lead contamination in the soil in large areas, over the years. Because of the large scale of contamination and the costs involved, the excavation of all this contaminated soil is not possible. The Netherlands and Flanders are therefore looking for practicable and feasible solutions to the problem.Ministerie van I&

Dietary cadmium intake by the Belgian adult population.

&lt;p&gt;The aim of this study was to estimate the dietary cadmium (Cd) intake of the Belgian adult population, to compare this dietary Cd exposure to the tolerable weekly intake (TWI) recently established by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and to determine the major food groups that contribute to dietary Cd exposure in Belgium. Food consumption data were derived from the 2004 Belgian food consumption survey (two 24 h recalls, 3083 participants). Cadmium concentrations in food items (n = 4000) were gathered from the control program of the Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain for the period 2006-2008. Dietary intake per individual was calculated from consumption data and median Cd concentrations. The population mean, median and 95th percentile of the dietary intake values were 0.98, 0.85 and 2.02 &amp;micro;g kg⁻&amp;sup1; body weight per week respectively. Two percent of the Belgian adult population has a dietary Cd intake above the recent TWI of 2.5 &amp;micro;g kg⁻&amp;sup1; body weight established by EFSA in 2009. Cereal products and potatoes contribute for more than 60% to Cd intake.&lt;/p&gt;</p

Caramel colour and process by-products in foods and beverages, part I : development of a UPLC-MS/MS isotope dilution method for determination of 2-acetyl-4-(1,2,3,4-tetrahydroxybutyl)imidazole (THI), 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI) and 2-methylimidazol (2-MEI)

Caramel colours are used by the food industry in a wide range of foods and beverages. During their manufacturing, low molecular weight compounds such as 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI), the structural isomer of 4-MEI, 2-methylimidazole (2-MEI) and 2-acetyl-4-tetrahydroxy-butylimidazole (THI) are generated. The presence of these inevitable by-products of caramel manufacturing can be hazardous to human health. This publication describes an isotope dilution Ultra-High-performance Liquid Chromatography tandem mass spectrometric method (UHPLC-MS/MS) that was developed and validated for the simultaneous quantification of these impurities in both beverages/liquids and foods. A limit of quantification of 5 mu g/kg was obtained for 4-MEI and THI. The expanded measurement uncertainty (U; k = 2) for these compounds was below 51% in beverages/liquids and below 56% in foods. As higher measurement uncertainties were obtained for 2-MEI, the developed analytical procedure can only be used in a semi-quantitative way for this compound