Environmental contaminants in foodstuffs
BfR research project on the intake of heavy metals and dioxins completed
Humans absorb not only valuable substances, such as vitamins and minerals, through foodstuffs but also undesirable substances, such as so-called environmental contaminants which can damage health in certain amounts. These include heavy metals and dioxins, which can migrate into foods through contamination of the air, the water or the soil. In order to be able to assess the risks of these substances, the question arises as to the amounts in which they occur in foodstuffs and the amounts consumers eat of these foodstuffs. This was the focus of the LExUKon project. Standardised methods were developed and applied for the assessment of the amounts of consumption and content data of foodstuffs with environmental contaminants.
This was possible through data from the National Consumption Study II (NVS II) of the Max Rubner Institute (MRI) and the food monitoring by the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL). The intake of environmental contaminants through foodstuffs was determined for the general population, taking into account different consumption habits as well as individual lifestyles. It turned out, for instance, that consumers eat more fish as they grow older and hence absorb, amongst other things, more methylmercury than younger people.
The final report of the research project has been published as a BfR brochure (in German).
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