Tetracyclines in pasteurized milk commercialized in São Paulo, Brazil: occurrence and dietary risk assessment based on single and combined exposure with polyether ionophores.

Tetracyclines and polyether ionophores are veterinary drugs frequently used in animals reared for food production. Despite the benefits, residues can be harmful for human health if levels are higher than those considered safe. The aim of this study was to evaluate, by LC-MS/MS, tetracyclines residues in pasteurised milk samples marketed in São Paulo state, Brazil and estimate the exposure of the adult/adolescent/children population. Within the eight antibiotics monitored two were detected, tetracycline and 4-epitetracycline, found in 22.5% and 12.5% of the samples, respectively. Since the same samples had been previously tested for polyether ionophore residues, risk assessment based on dietary exposure to tetracyclines when considered individually and in combination with the ionophores was performed. The daily intakes were below the acceptable daily intake (ADI) for tetracycline. Considering the levels of monensin reported in a previous study, the combined exposure with tetracycline and 4-epi-tetracycline also indicated low potential health concerns.

[Investigation and health risk assessment of veterinary drug residues in chickens and eggs sold in Ningxia from 2016 to 2020].

OBJECTIVE: To understand the monitoring status of veterinary drug residues in chickens and eggs sold in Ningxia from 2016 to 2020, and to evaluate the health risks of human intake. METHODS: A total of 303 chicken and 237 eggs were collected from 2016 to 2020, and the veterinary drug residues in chickens and eggs sold in Ningxia were detected and analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The food safety index method was used to assess the health risks in combination with the dietary intake of residents. RESULTS: The detection rate of veterinary drug residues in chicken was 38.0%(115/303), and the over-standard rate was 7.6%(23/303). The detection rate of veterinary drug residues in eggs was 26.6%(63/237), and the over-standard rate was 19.8%(47/237). The food safety index of doxycycline in chicken was 4.59, and the food safety indexes of doxycycline, flumequine and flufenicol in eggs were 7.09, 26.5 and 2.33, respectively, all of which were much higher than 1, suggesting that there were health risks. The food safety indexes of other substances were all less than 1, and the food safety indexes were all acceptable. CONCLUSION: Veterinary drugs were widely detected in chicken and eggs in Ningxia from 2016 to 2020. Some veterinary drugs had hidden health risks.

Assessment of safety and quality aspects of boiling treatment of quail eggs.

A total of 300 quail eggs were collected randomly from different markets in Cairo and Giza Governorates. Five eggs were represented as one egg sample. Shell and content of each egg were examined for their microbiological contents, sensory evaluation and study of Escherichia coli O157 survival in artificially contaminated eggs. Moreover, qualitative detection of antimicrobial residues by seven plates microbiologically bioassay and confirmed by validated high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods for positively reacted antimicrobials in raw and boiled samples. There was a significant difference (P < 0·05) between the grading score of eggs after the boiling at 2-, 4-, 5- and 7-min. Based on the survival results, the refrigeration storage and boiling for 5 min of quail eggs was confirmed that such eggs are without E. coli O157. After the boil, the concentrations of oxytetracycline (OTC) and 4-Epi-OTC residues were significantly reduced, and there was no effect on the concentration of sulphadimidine (SDD), amoxicillin (AMO) and Diketo residues. Samples that exceeded the maximum residual limits (MRLs) were 17·0%, 12·0%, 10·0%, 16·0% and 14·0% for SDD, OTC, 4-Epi-OTC, AMO and Diketo, respectively. After boiling, no significant change was noted for SDD, AMO and Diketo, but all OTC and 4-Epi-OTC were completely below MRLs. Therefore, SDD and AMO with their metabolite (Diketo) are heat-stable antimicrobial residues with multiple human health hazards.

Health risk assessment of antimicrobial residues in sheep carcasses marketed in Kuwait.

A total of 450 samples comprising 150 each of muscles, livers and kidneys were collected from 150 sheep carcasses in Kuwait and tested by both Rapid Premi®Test kits for rapid detection of antimicrobial-positive samples, and the High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for residual determination of amoxicillin, tetracycline, oxytetracycline, and tylosin. Premi test revealed that 82%, 64% and 100% of the muscle, liver and kidney samples examined, respectively were positive for antimicrobials. HPLC analysis revealed mean concentrations (µg/kg) of 45.26, 148.17, 103.18, and 71.80 for amoxicillin, oxytetracycline, tetracycline, and tylosin respectively in muscles; 64.43, 263.15, 177.04, and 112.94, respectively in livers; and 53.12, 368.21, 196.40, and 138.63, respectively in kidneys. Although many samples exceeded the maximum residue limit (MRL) of Codex Alimentarius, the assessment of dietary exposure to the antimicrobials tested through consumption of sheep meat and organs did not constitute any health hazards in the different age groups of Kuwaiti population.

Food safety and quality assessment: comprehensive review and recent trends in the applications of ion mobility spectrometry (IMS).

Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) is an analytical separation and diagnostic technique that is simple and sensitive and a rapid response and low-priced technique for detecting trace levels of chemical compounds in different matrices. Chemical agents and environmental contaminants are successfully detected by IMS and have been recently considered to employ in food safety. In addition, IMS uses stand-alone or coupled analytical diagnostic tools with chromatographic and spectroscopic methods. Scientific publications show that IMS has been applied 21% in the pharmaceutical industry, 9% in environmental studies and 13% in quality control and food safety. Nevertheless, applications of IMS in food safety and quality analysis have not been adequately explored. This review presents the IMS-related analysis and focuses on the application of IMS in food safety and quality. This review presents the important topics including detection of traces of chemicals, rate of food spoilage and freshness, food adulteration and authenticity as well as natural toxins, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, veterinary, and growth promoter drug residues. Further, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), acrylamide, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), biogenic amines, nitrosamine, furfural, phenolic compounds, heavy metals, food packaging materials, melamine, and food additives were also examined for the first time. Therefore, it is logical to predict that the application of the IMS technique in food safety, food quality, and contaminant analysis will be impressively increased in the future. HighlightsCurrent status of IMS for residues and contaminant detection in food safety.To assess all the detected contaminants in food safety, for the first time.Identified IMS-related parameters and chemical compounds in food safety control.

Risk Assessment of Nine Coccidiostats in Commercial and Home Raised Poultry.

For the first time, this paper aimed to evaluate nine ionophore and synthetic coccidiostat residues in poultry muscle samples, obtained from different production types, by solid-liquid extraction followed by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The fully validated methodology was successfully applied to a total of 101 chicken and turkey samples obtained from canteens, supermarkets, and home productions in Portugal. Halofuginone, diclazuril, decoquinate, narasin, lasalocid, and salinomycin were detected in 20.8% of the samples. Home raised samples showed a greater frequency, 47.1%. The synthetic coccidiostats halofuginone, diclazuril, and decoquinate were found in averages of 0.7 µg kg-1,2.9 µg kg-1, and 3.7 µg kg-1, respectively, while averages of 1.2 µg kg-1, 1.6 µg kg-1, and 1.3 µg kg-1 were found regarding the ionophores narasin, lasalocid, and salinomycin. As for the risk assessment, values lower than 8.06% of the acceptable daily intake (ADI) were observed, indicating that exposure to coccidiostats through consumption of poultry meat does not represent risk to consumers.

Fabrication of Membrane Sensitive Electrodes for the Validated Electrochemical Quantification of Anti-Osteoporotic Drug Residues in Pharmaceutical Industrial Wastewater.

Accurate and precise application of ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) in the quantification of environmental pollutants is a strenuous task. In this work, the electrochemical response of alendronate sodium trihydrate (ALN) was evaluated by the fabrication of two sensitive and delicate membrane electrodes, viz. polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and glassy carbon (GC) electrodes. A linear response was obtained at concentrations from 1 × 10-5 to 1 × 10-2 M for both electrodes. A Nernstian slope of 29 mV/decade over a pH range of 8-11 for the PVC and GC membrane electrodes was obtained. All assay settings were carefully adjusted to obtain the best electrochemical response. The proposed technique was effectively applied for the quantification of ALN in pure form and wastewater samples, acquired from manufacturing industries. The proposed electrodes were effectively used for the determination of ALN in real wastewater samples without any prior treatment. The current findings guarantee the applicability of the fabricated ISEs for the environmental monitoring of ALN.

Risk assessment and analysis of harmful residues in edible agricultural products in China-take Anhui Province as an example.

The reforming and opening-up and the development of agricultural science and technology have brought about the rapid growth of China's food quantity and solved the problem that 20% of the world's population has enough to eat. At the same time, it also brings the problem of harmful residues in food. On the one hand, the Chinese government guides farmers to rationally use chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and veterinary drugs. On the other hand, in urban and rural school canteens and farmers' markets in third-tier cities, the implementation of pesticide residue detection system. Through the investigation of 24 kinds of edible agricultural products which are easy to produce harmful residues, and using a variety of statistical methods, the results showed that at present, the residues of harmful substances in edible agricultural products consumed by urban residents and school canteens in urban and rural areas have been well controlled, and the compliance rate is about 80%. The residues of harmful substances in edible agricultural products consumed by rural residents obviously exceed the standard. Taking rice production as an example, although farmers can reduce the risk of excessive pesticide residues in rice through rational application of pesticides, they are more worried about less application of pesticides and bear the risk of reducing rice production. Most farmers still choose to take the risk of excessive pesticide residues.

Terminal residue and dietary intake risk assessment of prothioconazole-desthio and fluoxastrobin in wheat field ecosystem.

BACKGROUND: Wheat is one of the most important cereal crops worldwide, and use of fungicides is an essential part of wheat production. Both prothioconazole and fluoxastrobin give excellent control of important seed and soilborne pathogens. The combination of these two fungicides shows a complementary mode of action and has a wide usage around the world. But the residue levels of these fungicides in the wheat matrix are still unknown. RESULTS: In the current study, a simple, low-cost and highly sensitive method using modified QuECHERS procedure combined with high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was developed to simultaneously quantify E- and Z-fluoxastrobin and the main metabolite prothioconazole-desthio of prothioconazole in the wheat matrix. The recoveries of prothioconazole-desthio, E-fluoxastrobin and Z-fluoxastrobin ranged from 84% to 101%, with relative standard deviation of less than 13.2%. The terminal residues of prothioconazole-desthio and E- and Z-fluoxastrobin were studied in wheat grain and straw under field conditions. The results showed that the terminal residue of the target compounds ranged from <0.01 to 0.029 mg kg-1 and <0.05 to 7.6 mg kg-1 in wheat grain and straw (expressed as dry weight), respectively. The risk quotients of prothioconazole-desthio and fluoxastrobin were 0.2% and 3.2%. CONCLUSIONS: The residue levels of the target analytes in wheat grain were lower than the maximum residue limits recommended by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture. And the calculated risk quotient values were far below 100%, indicating a low dietary intake health risk to consumers. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effects of sonochemical approach and induced contraction of core-shell bismuth sulfide/graphitic carbon nitride as an efficient electrode materials for electrocatalytic detection of antibiotic drug in foodstuffs.

Ultrasonic-enhanced surface-active bismuth trisulfide based core-shell nanomaterials were developed and used as an efficient modified electrode material to construct a highly sensitive antibiotic sensor. The core-shell Bi2S3@GCN electrode material was directly synthesized by in-situ growth of GCN on Bi2S3 to form core-shell like nanostar (Ti-horn, 30 kHz, and 70 W/cm2). The electrocatalyst of Bi2S3@GCN nanocomposites was efficaciously broadened towards electrochemical applications. As synthesized Bi2S3@GCN promoted the catalytic ability and electrons of GCN to transfer to Bi2S3. The single-crystalline GCN layers were uniformly grown on the surface of the Bi2S3 nanostars. Under the optimal conditions of electrochemical analysis, the CPL sensor exhibited responses directly proportional to concentrations (toxic chemical) over a range of 0.02-374.4 µM, with a nanomolar detection limit of 1.2 nM (signal-to-noise ratio S/N = 3). In addition, the modified sensor has exhibited outstanding selectivity under high concentrations of interfering chemicals and biomolecules. The satisfactory CPL recoveries in milk product illustrated the credible real-time application of the proposed Bi2S3@GCN sensors for real samples, indicating promising potential in food safety department and control. Additionally, the proposed electrochemical antibiotic sensor exhibited outstanding performance of anti-interfering ability, high stability and reproducibility.

Assessment of veterinary drug residues in food: Considerations when dealing with sub-optimal data.

The use of veterinary drugs in food-producing animals may lead to residues in animal-derived foodstuffs, potentially posing a risk to human safety. While the process of veterinary drug residue risk assessment continues to evolve as new data emerges, a recurring challenge is when sub-optimal or incomplete data are provided with the expectation of supporting a robust risk assessment. The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) is comprised of international experts who routinely deal with such data challenges when performing veterinary drug residue evaluations. Recent developments in veterinary drug residue risk assessment are described, including specific consequences of sub-optimal data during the risk assessment process. When feasible, practical solutions to such challenges are also highlighted. Case examples from recent JECFA veterinary drug evaluations are provided to clearly quantify and illustrate the concepts described. The information provided is intended to facilitate the generation of improved quality data, enabling more timely and robust veterinary drug residue risk assessments.

Multiantibiotic residues in commercial fish from Argentina. The presence of mixtures of antibiotics in edible fish, a challenge to health risk assessment.

The occurrence of 46 antibiotics (amphenicols, cephalosporins, dihydrofolate reductase inhibitors, fluroquinolones, macrolides, nitrofurans, penicillins, quinolones, sulfamides and tetracyclines) in Argentinean market fish were investigated by UPLC-MS/MS. Veterinary and human antimicrobials enrofloxacin, clarithromycin, roxithromycin, doxycycline and oxytetracycline were detected in 100% of the samples, being to our knowledge the first report of clarithromycin in edible fish muscle. Maximum Residual Limits were exceeded for at least one antibiotic in 82% of pacú, 57% of shad, 57% of trout and 50% of salmon samples. Chloramphenicol, furazolidone and nitrofurantoin (banned compounds in food items) were detected in 41%, 22% and 4% of the samples, respectively. Based on the estimated daily intake calculation, samples do not pose a serious risk to public health. Further investigation on the chronic impact and risk calculation of the mixture of antibiotics on the aquatic environment and human health is urgently needed.

Human pharmaceutical and pesticide residues in Israeli dairy milk in association with dietary risk assessment.

Throughout the world, more than six billion people consume milk and milk products yearly. The safety and quality of dairy milk are regularly monitored in most countries worldwide. The Israeli monitoring program of chemical residues in milk has not changed in the last decades, focusing only on major veterinary drugs and few selected environmental contaminants such as heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants. Consequently, a knowledge gap exists regarding the potential occurrence of other chemicals such as human pharmaceuticals and non-monitored pesticides in milk. In this survey, 51 commercial bovine and goat milk samples were analysed by LC-MS/MS and pharmaceutical and pesticide residues are reported in the range of 0.1-93 µg/L. Israeli milk samples revealed at least one and up to five chemical residues simultaneously. The pesticides found in milk were below the European maximum residue limit values. The risk assessment performed, indicated negligible risk.

A reliable and cost-efficient TLC-HPLC method for determining total florfenicol residues in porcine edible tissues.

It is still a challenge to solve the matrix interferences in veterinary drug residue analysis. In this study, we reported a thin layer chromatography (TLC)-high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for determining total florfenicol (FF) residues, expressed as florfenicol amine (FFA), in porcine edible tissues. The tissue homogenate were acid-hydrolyzed to liberate the bound residues and convert them into FFA. The hydrolysates were washed with ethyl acetate and subsequently extracted with ethyl acetate under alkaline conditions. The supernatants were concentrated through evaporation, defatted with hexane, purified by TLC and analyzed by HPLC at 225 nm. The optimal developing solvent for TLC purification was ethyl acetate-acetone-ammonium hydroxide mixtures (2:8:0.5, v/v/v). The method was fully validated according to decision 2002/657/EC, and could be used for the routine monitoring of FF residues in pig. TLC showed excellent purification efficiency, and was expected to solve the matrix interferences in veterinary drug residue analysis.

Evaluation of Tilmicosin Contamination in Eggs Following Its Administration to Laying Hens and Subsequent Assessment of Dietary Risks to Chinese Consumers.

In the present study, we analyzed the tilmicosin residues in eggs as well as the dietary risks posed by the residual drug to Chinese consumers. Tilmicosin was administrated to laying hens via drinking water in doses of 100 mg/L and 300 mg/L (dose 1 and dose 2) for 5 days. Its residues distribution within egg matrices were detected using a QuEChERS method coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The results indicated that the tilmicosin residue was the highest in the whole eggs and yolks on day 2 after medication and in the whites on day 5 of drug administration for dose 1 and dose 2 with the residues (µg/kg) being the following: 73.4 and 444.3 in the whole eggs; 152.0 and 1141.1 in the yolks; and 48.8 and 277.6 in the whites, respectively. During withdrawal phase, the tilmicosin levels declined to less than the limit of detection (LOD) after 29 days and 49 days for the whole eggs, after 24 days and 44 days for the yolks, and after 19 days and 49 days for the whites for doses 1 and 2, respectively. An assessment of the dietary risk for Chinese consumers revealed that the hazard quotients (HQ) values for tilmicosin consumption were less than 1 for dose 1 and greater than 1 for dose 2, with children (2 to 7 years) and adult males (over 65 years) being the high-risk groups. These results suggest that the possible risk associated with tilmicosin contamination in eggs should not be ignored since the accidental or occasional misuse of tilmicosin in the case of egg-laying hens may occur from time to time, particularly on small farms. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The modified QuEChERS method was used to analyze the tilmicosin residues in egg matrices and a subsequent dietary exposure assessment for Chinese consumers was performed, which can serve as a reference for the food safety risk posed by antibiotic misuse in egg layers.

A reliable, simple and cost-efficient TLC-HPLC method for simultaneously determining florfenicol and florfenicol amine in porcine urine: application to residue surveillance.

Violative residues of florfenicol (FF) in porcine edible tissues pose a potential risk for human health. In this study, urine was selected as target matrix for routine residue monitoring of FF in pig, and a thin layer chromatography (TLC)-high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed for simultaneously determining FF and florfenicol amine (FFA) in porcine urine. The urine samples were extracted with ethyl acetate under alkaline environment. The extracts were enriched through evaporation, purified by TLC and analysed by HPLC at 225 nm. A Waters Symmetry C18 column was used for the separation of the two analytes. The mobile phase was acetonitrile-phosphate buffer mixtures (33.3: 66.7, v/v), and was pumped at 0.6 mL/min. The TLC-HPLC method was well validated and successfully applied to residue depletion study. Good analytical specificity was confirmed by the lack of interfering peaks at the retention times of FF and FFA. The standard curves showed good linearity (FF: y = 143064x - 1045.3, r= 0.9999; FFA: y = 275826x + 1888.8, r= 0.9999) over the range of 0.0625-8 µg/mL. The precision ranged from 0.83% to 11.66% and 2.19% to 8.75% for intraday and interday determination, respectively. The corresponding accuracy ranged from -13.38% to 10.78% and -12.15% to 7.14%, respectively. The limits of quantification (LOQs) for FF and FFA were 0.125 µg/mL. The residue depletion study showed that the concentrations of FF and FFA in urine were higher than those in edible tissues at three time points. This method was reliable, simple and cost efficient, and could be used to monitor FF residues in porcine edible tissue without slaughtering animals. TLC showed excellent purification efficiency and is expected to solve matrix interferences in veterinary drug residue analysis.

Assessment of Three Antimicrobial Residue Concentrations in Broiler Chicken Droppings as a Potential Risk Factor for Public Health and Environment.

Tetracyclines, sulfonamides and amphenicols are broad spectrum antimicrobial drugs that are widely used in poultry farming. However, a high proportion of these drugs can be excreted at high concentrations in droppings, even after the end of a therapy course. This work intended to assess and compare concentrations of florfenicol (FF), florfenicol amine (FFa), chlortetracycline (CTC), 4-epi-chlortetracycline (4-epi-CTC), and sulfachloropyridazine (SCP) in broiler chicken droppings. To this end, 70 chickens were housed under controlled environmental conditions, and assigned to experimental groups that were treated with therapeutic doses of either 10% FF, 20% CTC, or 10% SCP. Consequently, we implemented and designed an in-house validation for three analytical methodologies, which allowed us to quantify the concentrations of these three antimicrobial drugs using liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Our results showed that FF and FFa concentrations were detected in chicken droppings up to day 10 after ceasing treatment, while CTC and 4-epi-CTC were detected up to day 25. As for SCP residues, these were detected up to day 21. Noticeably, CTC showed the longest excretion period, as well as the highest concentrations detected after the end of its administration using therapeutic doses.

Determination of azole fungal residues in soils and detection of Aspergillus fumigatus-resistant strains in market gardens of Eastern France.

Medical azole antifungals are major compounds used to prevent and to treat invasive aspergillosis (IA). Azole fungicides, called DMI (14-alpha demethylase inhibitors), are also widely used for crop protection and have been reported to be linked to azole-resistant A. fumigatus (aR-Af) development in the environment. The aim of this study was to determine whether or not market gardens that spray DMIs in Eastern France are also affected by the presence of aR-Af. Forty aR-Afs were detected in soils in only two of the four market gardens using DMIs, with 23% (7/30) and 10% (3/30) of soils containing aR-Af. A total of 87.5% of these isolates had the TR34/L98H mutation and 22.5% the TR46/Y121F/T289A mutation on the cyp51A gene. Analyses of residual azole concentrations in soils showed the presence of difenoconazole for up to 2 years after spraying, but only in soils of market gardens where aR-Af was detected. It is very important to identify professional activities that could lead to aR-Af development and to develop preventive measures for at-risk patients living near professional activities using DMIs. We have to better understand why, in some cases, the use of DMI is not linked to aR-Af. Measures should be taken to avoid the use of DMI conferring cross-resistance to preserve the efficiency of human therapeutics.

Residue depletion and risk assessment of niclosamide in three species of freshwater fish.

The residue depletion of niclosamide (NIC) in freshwater fish including blunt snout bream (Megalobrama amblycephala), yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco) and channel catfish (Ietalurus Punetaus) were investigated under laboratory conditions. NIC concentrations in fish were determined by Liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) with heated electrospray ionisation. The mean recoveries were in the range of 75.5-98.5%, with relative standard deviations ranging from 1.0 to 9.4%. The depletion results showed that the long half-life of NIC was 8.8-22.1 days. Risk assessment of NIC residue in edible tissues (muscle and skin) of the three species of freshwater fish was performed using the quotient (RQ), because of no maximum residue limit (MRL) has been set for NIC in fish. The results demonstrated that the RQ values were all significantly lower than 1. Therefore, the effect of NIC residues in the three species of freshwater fish at the immersion concentration was negligible to Chinese people.

Quantitative risk assessment of antimicrobials in biosolids applied on agricultural land and potential translocation into food.

The use of biosolids as a fertiliser may be an indirect route for contaminants into the food chain. One of the main concerns regarding the spreading of biosolids on agricultural land is the potential uptake of contaminants into plants which may bio-transfer into grazing animals that supply the food chain directly (e.g. meat and milk) and hence are subsequently consumed. The aim of this project was to create a quantitative risk assessment model to estimate the fate and translocation of triclosan (TCS) and triclocarban (TCC) into the feed (grass) and food chain with subsequent human exposure. The model's results indicate that TCS and TCC have low potential to transfer into milk and beef following the ingestion of contaminated grass by dairy cows. Mean estimated TCS and TCC residues in milk and beef show that TCC had the greatest concentration (mean values of 7.77×10-6mgkg-1 in milk and 1.36×10-4mgkg-1 in beef). Human exposure results show that TCC was greater for milk consumption in infants (1-4years) (mean value 1.14×10-7mgkg-1bwd-1) and for beef consumption by teens (12-17years) (mean value 6.87×10-8mgkg-1bwd-1). Concentrations of TCS and TCC were well below the estimated acceptable daily intake (ADI). Human health risk was estimated by evaluation of the hazard quotient (HQ), which used the NOAEL as a toxicity endpoint, combined with milk and beef human exposure estimates. HQ results show that all values were <0.01 (no existing risk). A sensitivity analysis revealed that the Kow and initial concentration in biosolids as the parameters of greatest importance (correlation coefficients 0.91 and 0.19, respectively). This highlights the importance of physio-chemical properties of the compounds and their detection in biosolids post wastewater treatment along with their persistence in soil following application. This model is a valuable tool in which to ascertain the potential transfer of contaminants in the environment into animal forage with knock on consequences for exposure through the human food chain.