Risk assessment of phthalates based on aggregated exposure from foods and personal care products and comparison with biomonitoring data.

Phthalates are a group of diesters of phthalic acid and have been widely used by the industry as plasticisers giving flexibility and durability to polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics. Commonly their uses vary from plasticisers in food contact materials and toys to emulsifying agents in personal care products. Phthalates are not covalently bound to PVC, thus they can migrate into the air, skin, water, food and the environment. The omnipresence of phthalates results in human exposure via multiple pathways such as dermal, oral and inhalation for prolonged periods. There is evidence that phthalates can induce disruption in oestrogenic activity, reproductive, developmental and liver toxicity both in experimental animals and potentially in humans. The aim of this technical report is to summarise the activities of the fellow performed at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH). The goals of the work programme were collecting concentration levels on five specific phthalates from the scientific literature and combining them with consumption/use data reported in a biomonitoring study part of a Horizon 2020 project (EuroMix), and finally, estimate the aggregate phthalate exposure from food and personal care products and compare them with the measured phthalate levels in urine samples collected in the biomonitoring study.

Risks to human and animal health related to the presence of deoxynivalenol and its acetylated and modified forms in food and feed.

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a mycotoxin primarily produced by Fusarium fungi, occurring predominantly in cereal grains. Following the request of the European Commission, the CONTAM Panel assessed the risk to animal and human health related to DON, 3-acetyl-DON (3-Ac-DON), 15-acetyl-DON (15-Ac-DON) and DON-3-glucoside in food and feed. A total of 27,537, 13,892, 7,270 and 2,266 analytical data for DON, 3-Ac-DON, 15-Ac-DON and DON-3-glucoside, respectively, in food, feed and unprocessed grains collected from 2007 to 2014 were used. For human exposure, grains and grain-based products were main sources, whereas in farm and companion animals, cereal grains, cereal by-products and forage maize contributed most. DON is rapidly absorbed, distributed, and excreted. Since 3-Ac-DON and 15-Ac-DON are largely deacetylated and DON-3-glucoside cleaved in the intestines the same toxic effects as DON can be expected. The TDI of 1 µg/kg bw per day, that was established for DON based on reduced body weight gain in mice, was therefore used as a group-TDI for the sum of DON, 3-Ac-DON, 15-Ac-DON and DON-3-glucoside. In order to assess acute human health risk, epidemiological data from mycotoxicoses were assessed and a group-ARfD of 8 µg/kg bw per eating occasion was calculated. Estimates of acute dietary exposures were below this dose and did not raise a health concern in humans. The estimated mean chronic dietary exposure was above the group-TDI in infants, toddlers and other children, and at high exposure also in adolescents and adults, indicating a potential health concern. Based on estimated mean dietary concentrations in ruminants, poultry, rabbits, dogs and cats, most farmed fish species and horses, adverse effects are not expected. At the high dietary concentrations, there is a potential risk for chronic adverse effects in pigs and fish and for acute adverse effects in cats and farmed mink.