Original scientific paper
Risk Assessment Approaches for Carcinogenic Food Contaminants
Zoë Gillespi
; Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate, Health products and Food Branch, Health Canada, Canada
Olga Pulido
; Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate, Health products and Food Branch, Health Canada, Canada
Elizabeth Vavasour
; Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate, Health products and Food Branch, Health Canada, Canada
Abstract
Health Canada has identified the need for a
standardized department‐wide approach for the risk
assessment of carcinogens in foods (e.g., pesticides, food
chemical contaminants, veterinary therapeutics). A
standardized approach would better facilitate and inform
risk management strategies for the control of human
exposure to food sources of carcinogens. Within the post‐
market regulatory context, directly DNA‐reactive
carcinogens are of most concern because any exposure is
theoretically assumed to be associated with a risk of
producing a carcinogenic effect in proportion to the dose.
Such non‐threshold carcinogens, as well as carcinogens in
which a non‐linear dose response has not been
demonstrated, require different approaches for risk
characterization. In order to contribute to Health Canada’s
department‐wide discussions regarding the development
of risk management strategies for carcinogens, a general
overview was conducted on international approaches for
post‐market risk assessments of carcinogenic contaminants
in food. In this review, areas in the risk assessment
paradigm which are identified for development of further
standardized guidance include the weight‐of‐evidence
determination for whether a compound should be
considered a non‐threshold carcinogen, the technical
criteria for choosing the appropriate dose‐response
assessment approach, and a consistent approach for
interpreting and prioritizing risk
Keywords
Carcinogenic; DNA‐reactive; Non‐threshold; Risk Assessment; Risk Management
Hrčak ID:
71858
URI
Publication date:
15.9.2011.
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