|
Understanding risk levels
Scientists and food safety experts may rank the risk levels of potential food hazards from high to low as shown in the chart below. Any of these substances could be a low risk or a high risk for harm depending on the specific circumstances. For example, pesticides are generally consumed in such small amounts on food that they are a low risk as indicated in the chart. However, they may be a high risk if improperly applied.
Examples of Potential Food Hazards
High Risk:
Microorganisms: bacteria, molds, parasites, viruses
Chemicals naturally present: chemicals produced by the original plant or animal as it develops
Chemicals produced by cooking: chemicals formed under high heat conditions
Environmental Contaminants: artificial contaminants from hazardous waste, industrial pollution, etc.
Pesticides: chemicals added to crops to restrict insects, molds, or weeds and plant growth regulators
Additives:chemicals added to food to prevent the growth of microorganisms, stimulate production, or preserve the desired flavor, color, or appearance
Low Risk
Scientists estimate the amount of risk in any potential food hazard. This is called risk assessment. These are the factors they consider:
whether or not the substance will cause adverse reactions in the body.
the amount of the substance eaten.
whether the length of exposure is infrequent or lifelong.
how severe the resulting harm or illness would be.
whether or not age, previous illness, or genetics will cause greater sensitivity to a hazard.
Scientists do research to assess risk and use their judgment to interpret the data. These assessments often begin with studying the effects of certain substances on animals. There are limits to the usefulness of animal studies in judging possible effects on people. Diseases or injuries to animals may be different in humans or may not occur in humans. Some diseases may occur in humans but not in animals. It is also difficult to estimate how much of a food a person would typically eat and thus how much of the food hazard is involved. Because money and time constraints make it impossible to do every conceivable study, some less likely diseases may be overlooked. These are some of the reasons why scientists may disagree on data interpretation and ultimately report different risk levels for the same hazard.
Risk assessment methods are not perfect and must continue to be improved. However, these risk assessment methods are still essential to determine the safety of chemicals when used in different situations. If risk assessments, however imperfect, were not done, many more food hazards would go undetected.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are federal agencies which assess the risks of pesticides and food additives respectively. They regulate the use of these substances based upon such risk assessments. These agencies do not approve the use of a substance which is a potential food hazard if the risk is high. If the risk is low, they approve its use and specify how and in what amount it should be used.
|
