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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 9, No. 5
Publication Date: May 25, 2022
DOI:10.14738/assrj.95.12214. Peace, C. E., Osuji, L. C., & Osu, C. I. (2022). Environmental and Processing Contaminants from Pahs and Furan. Advances in Social
Sciences Research Journal, 9(5). 191-200.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Environmental and Processing Contaminants from Pahs and
Furan
Peace C. E.
Institute Of Natural Resources,
Environment And Sustainable Development
University Of Port Harcourt
Prof. L. C. Osuji
Institute Of Natural Resources,
Environment And Sustainable Development
University Of Port Harcourt
Dr. C. I. Osu
Institute Of Natural Resources,
Environment And Sustainable Development
University Of Port Harcourt
ABSTRACT
Maintaining an adequate, safe food supply has been a major goal of the Federal
Government since 1906, when the first Federal food and drug law was signed into
law. Historically, chemicals such as salt, sugar, and wood smoke have been used to
preserve foods. Modern food technology relies extensively on the use of chemicals
not only for preservation but also to produce appealing colors, flavors, aromas, and
textures. Most developed countries now have food laws designed to permit the use
of such chemicals in food under conditions judged to be safe. These chemicals are
not considered adulterants or contaminants and are classed as intentional
additives. Other chemicals may enter food as a result of their use in food production,
handling, or processing. Such substances maybe legally permitted if they are
unavoidable under good manufacturing practices and if the amounts involved are
considered safe. These chemicals are classed as incidental additives. The presence
of both these classes of chemicals in food is controlled by regulation.
INTRODUCTION
Environmental contaminants include substances from natural sources or from industry and
agriculture. Many of the naturally occurring contaminants in food are of microbiological origin
and consist of harmful bacterial, bacterial toxins, and fungal toxins. (Aflatoxin, a contaminant
of peanuts and grains, is an example of a fungal toxin or mycotoxin.) The second category of
environmental contaminants includes organic chemicals, metals and their complexes, and
radionuclides. Only those environmental contaminants introduced into food as a result of
human activities such as agriculture, mining, and industry are considered in this assessment.
The environmental contamination of food is a result of our modern, high-technology society.
We produce and consume large volumes of a wide variety of substances, some of which are
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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol. 9, Issue 5, May-2022
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
toxic. It is estimated that 70,000 chemicals may currently be in commercial production in the
United States and that 50 of these chemicals are manufactured in quantities greater than 1.3
billion lbs per year.
Seven percent of this country’s gross national product (GNP), $113 billion per year, is generated
by the manufacture and distribution of chemicals. During the production, use, and disposal of
these substances, there are opportunities for losses into the environment. For example, the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that there are more than 30,000 chemical
and radioactive waste disposal sites. Of these, 1,200 to 2,000 are considered threats to human
health (Wang et al., 2013).
Environmental contamination of food takes two forms: long-term, low-level contamination
resulting from gradual diffusion of persistent chemicals through the environment, and
relatively shorter term, higher level contamination stemming from industrial accidents and
waste disposal.
Chemical contamination is a major problem in the food industry all around the world. There
are numerous potentially harmful compounds in the environment that could contaminate
human food. They can be both inorganic and organic, and they can come from a variety of places.
The environment could be a source of pollutants. Metals like lead and mercury, dioxins, and
polychlorinated biphenyls are examples of this (PCBs). Pesticide use in agriculture has the
potential to contaminate food. Similarly, medications used in humans and animals may
contaminate streams and endanger consumers' health. Furthermore, food packaging practices
could be a source of contamination, with so-called "migrants" seeping from the packaging
materials. These pollutants have the potential to cause acute or chronic toxicity. Toxicity can be
related to the route of exposure and dose, and personal attributes such as age and health status
might influence a person's vulnerability.
Some food products may be more polluted than others according to the nature of
contamination. This could be due to a variety of causes, including pesticide exposure, plant
uptake mechanisms from the environment, or pollutants from food packaging (Stasinos et al.,
2014; Price et al., 2014). An individual's exposure to these pollutants is influenced by their
dietary habits. Nursing neonates, for example, consume a large amount of pollutants that are
excreted in breast milk (Leibson et al., 2018). Different harmful effects may result from
exposure at different periods of life. Prenatal exposure to persistent organic pollutants, for
example, has been associated to a rise in childhood obesity and blood pressure (Vafeiadi et al.,
2015).
In Nigeria and all over the world, millions of people daily consume street foods that provide a
wide range of essential energy needs and nutrients. According to a survey by the World health
Organization (WHO) in 1996, 74% of countries reported that street foods contribute
significantly to urban food supply, defined as “ready-to-eat foods,” processed or fresh, which
are sold at stationary locations or hawked in streets and open places as opposed to stores and
licensed establishments (Mwangi et al., 2001). These foods are mostly cheap and they are also
easily accessible (FAO, 2007). There is a wide acceptability of street-vended foods among
majority of the Nigerian population which cuts across social, cultural, and political class. The
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Peace, C. E., Osuji, L. C., & Osu, C. I. (2022). Environmental and Processing Contaminants from Pahs and Furan. Advances in Social Sciences Research
Journal, 9(5). 191-200.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.95.12214
inexpensive and convenient nature of these hawked foods has experienced an economic boom
in the last decade.
Although street food offers numerous advantages in improving food security, the safety of these
foods should be properly monitored. Food safety is the assurance that food will not cause any
harm or deleterious effect to the consumer when it is consumed (WHO, 1994). Street foods can
pose a possible health risk to habitual consumers because food prepared and exposed to the
open air for sale may become contaminated by pathogenic microorganism as well as chemical
toxicant (Rane, 2011). Contamination of street food is as a result of so many factors such as
preparation methods, poor packaging, vehicular exhaust emission, indiscriminate waste
disposal, poor sanitation, industrial emission, and a list of all other pollution sources in the
surrounding vending area (Omemu and Aderoju, 2008).
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Due to the nature of contamination, some food products may be more contaminated than
others. This may be due to several factors such as varying exposure to pesticides, differences in
plant uptake mechanisms from the environment, or contaminants from food packaging
(Stasinos et al, 2014). Dietary make-up will affect an individual’s exposure to these
contaminants. For example, nursing neonates have a high intake of contaminants that are
excreted in breast milk. Exposure at different life stages may result in different toxic effects as
well. For example, prenatal exposure to persistent organic pollutants has been linked to an
increase in childhood obesity and increased blood pressure.
For many food items including vegetables, fish, and other seafood human health risk
assessment data is available after analysis of available foods (Mahmood and Malik, 2014).
Urban farms and gardens may pose additional risks due to contaminants such as metals.
Furthermore, drinking water may become contaminated.
Figure 2.2: Source of Environmental Contaminants in Human Food (Mahmood and Malik, 2014).