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By Robert
Uhlig
A worldwide alert was issued
after scientists announced that much of the food we eat contains a chemical
known to cause cancer, damage the nervous system and affect fertility.
The Food Standards Agency said
that its scientists had confirmed recent Swedish findings that "significant
levels" of acrylamide occurs in fried, baked and processed foods
ranging from biscuits, bread and crisps to chips and possibly meat.
The finding has the potential
to change the way certain types of food are viewed, in much the same way
that studies in the 1960s changed perception of the health risks of smoking.
Acrylamide causes gene mutations
leading to a range of cancers in rats, including breast cancer, uterine
cancer and tambours in the adrenal glands and the internal lining of the
scrotum.
Among the products tested in
the British study - some of which had levels of acrylamide 1,280 times
higher than international safety limits - were chipped and fried supermarket
potatoes, Walkers crisps, crackers, Kellogg's Rice Crispies and Pringles
crisps.
The results have so alarmed
health experts that they have called international meetings to discuss
what should be done.
The British and Swedish findings
were presented yesterday to the Scientific Committee on Food that advises
the European Commission on food safety.
World Health Organization experts
will discuss the research at a special meeting in Geneva next month. It
is expected to recommend further studies.
According to the findings,
acrylamide forms naturally in food when it is fried or baked. The scientists
believe it also occurs in roasted, grilled and barbecued food.
As a genotoxic carcinogen, acrylamide is classified as a "probable"
cancer-causing chemical with no safe dose.
Diane Benford, a toxicologist
at the FSA, said: "We cannot define a safe level. We have to assume
that at any level of exposure there may be some risk, albeit very small."
With 30 to 40 per cent of cancers
caused by diet, Dr Benford said that it was too early to say whether acrylamide
was one of the major causes of cancer.
Dr Benford said: "We are
not advising any changes of diet or cooking procedures because we do not
know enough yet."
Steve Wearne, head of contaminants
at the FSA, said: "It's about any food that's cooked this way. It
appears that any of these cooking processes in food production can lead
to acrylamide forming. It's not clear what the factors are that lead to
acrylamide formation; it may be due to the type of cooking, temperature,
or chemical composition of the food, or other factors."
Telegraph.Co.Uk
May 18, 2002
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