Type: Chapter

Chemical contaminants in foods

Authors

Rob Theelen Rob Theelen Verna Carolissen Mackay

Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme

Angeliki Vlachou

FAO

Frans Verstraete

European Commission

Tadeusz Gorecki

University of Waterloo

...

Publication date:

Q4 2025

ID: 9781835450512

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Description

This book reviews and synthesises the wide range of recent research which is redefining how best to assess health risks from chemical contaminants in food to improve safety.

Table of contents

Part 1 Current principles and systems

  • 1.The global framework for food chemical risk assessment: Verna Carolissen Mackay, Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme, Italy;
  • 2.The role of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) in food chemical risk assessment: Angeliki Vlachou, FAO, Italy;
  • 3.The food safety framework within the EU: Frans Verstraete, European Commission, Belgium;
  • 4.Chemical contaminants in food: key issues in exposure assessment: Rob Theelen, Food Safety Portal, The Netherlands;

Part 2 Developments in risk assessment: Hazard identification/characterisation and exposure assessment

  • 5.Advances in techniques for monitoring/detecting chemical contaminants in food: chromatography: Tadeusz Gorecki, University of Waterloo, Canada;
  • 6.Advances in techniques for detecting chemical contaminants in food: electrochemical biosensors: Daniel Cozzolino, Central Queensland University, Australia;
  • 7.The use of effect biomarkers to assess potential effects of exposure to chemical residues from food and other sources: Gaud Dervilly, Oniris Nantes, France;
  • 8.Understanding the role of diet as a source of potentially harmful chemicals: Bozidar Udovicki, University of Belgrade, Serbia;
  • 9.Evidence mapping of sources and pathways for potential dietary exposure to contaminants in food: the case of Per- and Poly-Fluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS): Elaine Cohen Hubal, US Environmental Protection Agency, USA;
  • 10.Advances in human biomonitoring to assess levels of dietary exposure to potentially harmful chemicals from food or other sources: Pascal Sanders, ANSES, France;

Part 3 Developments in risk assessments: Risk characterisation

  • 11.Developments in toxicokinetic modelling of chemical residues ingested through food: Dimosthenis Sarigiannis, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece;
  • 12.The use of adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) to link molecular changes to adverse health outcomes/effects related to chemical residues from foods: Mathieu Vinken, Vrije University, Brussels (VUB), Belgium;
  • 13.Developments in in-silico tools for safety/risk assessment of chemical residues in food: Szabina Stice, Centre for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition – Food and Drug Administration, USA;

Part 4 Environmental and processing contaminants

  • 14.Advances in assessing heavy metal residues in food: Britt Maestroni, Food and Environmental Protection (FEP) – IAEA, Austria;
  • 15.Advances in assessing flame retardant residues in food: Gary Codling, University of Exeter, UK;
  • 16.Advances in assessing residues of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in foods: Thimo Groffen, University of Antwerp, Belgium;
  • 17.Advances in assessing dioxins in food: Gauthier Eppe, University of Liege, Belgium;
  • 18.Assessing microplastics and nanoplastics in food: Alfonso Lampen, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (GfR), Gemany;
  • 19.Contaminants related to high-temperature processing of food: Hoonjeong Kwon, Seoul National University, Korea)

Part 4 Natural toxins

  • 20.Assessing pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) in food: Isabel Sierra, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Spain;
  • 21.Assessing mycotoxin contamination of food: Michael Appell, USDA-ARS, USA;
  • 22.Assessing tropane alkaloids (TAs) in food: Anna Sanches Silva, University of Coimbra, Portugal;