Tarazona, Jose V.; Gonzalez-Caballero, Maria D. C.; Alba-Gonzalez, Mercedes; Pedraza-Diaz, Susana; Canas, Ana; Dominguez-Morueco, Noelia; Esteban-Lopez, Marta; Cattaneo, Irene; Katsonouri, Andromachi; Makris, Konstantinos C.; Halldorsson, Thorhallur I.; Olafsdottir, Kristin; Zock, Jan-Paul; Dias, Jonatan; Decker, Annelies; Morrens, Bert; Berman, Tamar; Barnett-Itzhaki, Zohar; Lindh, Christian; Gilles, Liese; Govarts, Eva; Schoeters, Greet; Weber, Till; Kolossa-Gehring, Marike; Santonen, Tiina; Castano, Argelia Toxics 10 (2022); online: 9 Juni 2022 The risk assessment of pesticide residues in food is a key priority in the area of food safety. Most jurisdictions have implemented pre-marketing authorization processes, which are supported by prospective risk assessments. These prospective assessments estimate the expected residue levels in food combining results from residue trials, resembling the pesticide use patterns, with food consumption patterns, according to internationally agreed procedures. In addition, jurisdictions such as the European Union (EU) have implemented large monitoring programs, measuring actual pesticide residue levels in food, and are supporting large-scale human biomonitoring programs for confirming the actual exposure levels and potential risk for consumers. The organophosphate insecticide chlorpyrifos offers an interesting case study, as in the last decade, its acceptable daily intake (ADI) has been reduced several times following risk assessments by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). This process has been linked to significant reductions in the use authorized in the EU, reducing consumers' exposure progressively, until the final ban in 2020, accompanied by setting all EU maximum residue levels (MRL) in food at the default value of 0.01 mg/kg. We present a comparison of estimates of the consumer's internal exposure to chlorpyrifos based on the urinary marker 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCPy), using two sources of monitoring data: monitoring of the food chain from the EU program and biomonitoring of European citizens from the HB4EU project, supported by a literature search. Both methods confirmed a drastic reduction in exposure levels from 2016 onwards. The margin of exposure approach is then used for conducting retrospective risk assessments at different time points, considering the evolution of our understanding of chlorpyrifos toxicity, as well as of exposure levels in EU consumers following the regulatory decisions. Concerns are presented using a color code, and have been identified for almost all studies, particularly for the highest exposed group, but at different levels, reaching the maximum level, red code, for children in Cyprus and Israel. The assessment uncertainties are highlighted and integrated in the identification of levels of concern. doi: 10.3390/toxics10060313
Buekers, J.; Remy, S.; Bessems, J.; Govarts, E.; Rambaud, L.; Riou, M.; Halldorsson, T. I.; Olafsdottir, K.; Probst-Hensch, N.; Ammann, P.; Weber, T.; Kolossa-Gehring, M.; Esteban-Lopez, M.; Castano, A.; Andersen, H. R.; Schoeters, G. Toxics 10 (2022); online : 21 September 2021 Within HBM4EU, human biomonitoring (HBM) studies measuring glyphosate (Gly) and aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) in urine samples from the general adult population were aligned and quality-controlled/assured. Data from four studies (ESB Germany (2015-2020); Swiss HBM4EU study (2020); DIET-HBM Iceland (2019-2020); ESTEBAN France (2014-2016)) were included representing Northern and Western Europe. Overall, median values were below the reported quantification limits (LOQs) (0.05-0.1 microg/L). The 95th percentiles (P95) ranged between 0.24 and 0.37 microg/L urine for Gly and between 0.21 and 0.38 microg/L for AMPA. Lower values were observed in adults compared to children. Indications exist for autonomous sources of AMPA in the environment. As for children, reversed dosimetry calculations based on HBM data in adults did not lead to exceedances of the ADI (proposed acceptable daily intake of EFSA for Gly 0.1 mg/kg bw/day based on histopathological findings in the salivary gland of rats) indicating no human health risks in the studied populations at the moment. However, the controversy on carcinogenicity, potential endocrine effects and the absence of a group ADI for Gly and AMPA induce uncertainty to the risk assessment. Exposure determinant analysis showed few significant associations. More data on specific subgroups, such as those occupationally exposed or living close to agricultural fields or with certain consumption patterns (vegetarian, vegan, organic food, high cereal consumer), are needed to evaluate major exposure sources. doi: 10.3390/toxics10100552
Schmidtkunz, Christoph; Küpper, Katja; Weber, Till; Leng, Gabriele; Kolossa-Gehring, Marike International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health 228 (2020), Juli 2020, 113541; online 5. Mai 2020 The antioxidant 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol (butylated hydroxytoluene, BHT) is used ubiquitously in food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, fuels, plastics, rubbers and many other products. Therefore, exposure of the general population to this substance is likely. We analyzed the BHT metabolite 3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzoic acid (“BHT acid”) in 24-h urine samples from the German Environmental Specimen Bank with the aim of gaining a better understanding of the internal burden of BHT in young nonspecifically exposed adults. The study population consisted of students between 20 and 29 years of age at the time of sampling, all from Halle/Saale in Central Germany. In total, 329 samples collected in the years 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2015, and 2018 were measured by ultra high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). BHT acid was detected above the limit of quantification (0.2 μg/L) in 98% of the samples. The median of the measured concentrations was 1.06 μg/L and 1.24 μg/g creatinine respectively, the median of the daily excretion was 1.76 μg/24 h and – additionally normalized for body weight – 26.8 ng/24 h × kg bw respectively. The corresponding 90th percentiles were 3.28 μg/L, 3.91 μg/g creatinine, 5.05 μg/24 h, and 81.9 ng/24 h × kg bw. Medians of creatinine-corrected values were slightly higher in women than in men, while the opposite situation was observed for the volume concentrations and the 24-h excretion values (not corrected for body weight). Values simultaneously normalized both for 24-h excretion and body weight did not exhibit any significant differences between males and females, probably indicating a virtually identical magnitude of exposure for both genders. The background exposure of the investigated population was found to be largely constant since the year 2000, with only weak temporal trends at most. Daily intakes were estimated from excretion values and found to be largely below the acceptable daily intake (ADI) of BHT at 0.25 mg/kg bw: our worst-case estimate is a daily BHT intake of approximately 0.1 mg/kg bw at the 95th percentile level. However, these intake assessments rely on very limited quantitative data regarding human metabolism of BHT. doi: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2020.113541