Effect of the duration of use of aluminum cookware on its metal leachability and cytogenotoxicity in Allium cepa assay

Aluminum cookware are widely used in many parts of the world. Data is increasing on the leaching of toxic metals from aluminum cookware into food and drink. In the present study, cytogenotoxicity of water boiled in three different aluminum pots (new, 3-year-old, and 6-year-old) in onion root tip's dividing cells was evaluated using the Allium cepa assay. The concentrations of Pb, As, Cd, Cu, Ni, and Al in the samples were also analyzed. Onion bulbs were grown in the boiled water samples, while tap water served as the control. Cytological and genetic analyses were carried out after 48 h, while analysis of inhibition of root length was carried out after 72 h. The results showed a significant (p < 0.05) cell proliferation and root growth inhibition compared with the control, which is dependent on the duration of use of the aluminum pots. The boiled water samples also caused modification of the root morphology as well as chromosomal aberrations which include sticky chromosomes, anaphase bridge, and disturbed spindle. The highest cytogenotoxicity was observed in the 6-year-old aluminum pot and the least in the new aluminum pot. Pb, As, Cd, Cu, Ni, and Al analyzed in the samples, with the highest concentrations in the 6-year-old aluminum pot, were believed to be responsible for the cytogenotoxicity observed in the A. cepa assay. The data of this study are indications that the aluminum pot-boiled water contains substances with the potential to be cytotoxic and cause mutations in somatic cells of A. cepa.

Improving Complementary Food Hygiene Behaviors Using the Risk, Attitude, Norms, Ability, and Self-Regulation Approach in Rural Malawi

The study evaluated the effectiveness of an intervention to improve complementary food hygiene behaviors among child caregivers in rural Malawi. Formative research and intervention development was grounded in the risk, attitude, norms, ability, and self-regulation (RANAS) model and targeted washing hands and kitchen utensils with soap, safe utensil storage, reheating of leftover food, and feeding of children by caregivers. Longitudinal research was applied at baseline and follow-up surveys among 320 caregivers. Determinants of selected behaviors were found, and interventions were developed based on the behavior change techniques aligned with these determinants in the RANAS model. The intervention was delivered over 9 months through group (cluster) meetings and household visits and included demonstrations, games, rewards, and songs. We randomly assigned villages to the control or intervention group. Follow-up results indicated a significant increase in three targeted behaviors (washing kitchen utensils with soap, safe utensil storage, and handwashing with soap) among intervention recipients. Several psychosocial factors differed significantly between the intervention and control groups. Mediation results showed that the intervention had a significant effect on these three targeted behaviors. For handwashing, feelings, others' behavior in the household, and remembering; for washing kitchen utensils, others' behavior in the household and difficulty to get enough soap; for safe utensils storage, others' behavior in the village and remembering mediated the effect of the intervention on the targeted behaviors. The study demonstrated that targeting food hygiene behaviors with a theory-driven behavior change approach using psychosocial factors can improve the behavior of child caregivers in rural Malawi.

PTFE-coated non-stick cookware and toxicity concerns: a perspective

PTFE is used as an inner coating material in non-stick cookware. This unique polymer coating prevents food from sticking in the pans during the cooking process. Such cookware is also easy to wash. At normal cooking temperatures, PTFE-coated cookware releases various gases and chemicals that present mild to severe toxicity. Only few studies describe the toxicity of PTFE but without solid conclusions. The toxicity and fate of ingested PTFE coatings are also not understood. Moreover, the emerging, persistent, and well-known toxic environmental pollutant PFOA is also used in the synthesis of PTFA. There are some reports where PFOA was detected in the gas phase released from the cooking utensils under normal cooking temperatures. Due to toxicity concerns, PFOA has been replaced with other chemicals such as GenX, but these new alternatives are also suspected to have similar toxicity. Therefore, more extensive and systematic research efforts are required to respond the prevailing dogma about human exposure and toxic effects to PTFE, PFOA, and GenX and other alternatives.

Bacterial adhesion capacity on food service contact surfaces

The aim of this study was to analyse the adhesion of E. coli, P. aeruginosa and S. aureus on food contact materials, such as polyethylene terephthalate, silicone, aluminium, Teflon and glass. Surface roughness, streaming potential and contact angle were measured. Bacterial properties by contact angle and specific charge density were characterised. The bacterial adhesion analysis using staining method and scanning electron microscopy showed the lowest adhesion on smooth aluminium and hydrophobic Teflon for most of the bacteria. However, our study indicates that hydrophobic bacteria with high specific charge density attach to those surfaces more intensively. In food services, safety could be increased by selecting material with low adhesion to prevent cross contamination.

Portion, package or tableware size for changing selection and consumption of food, alcohol and tobacco

BACKGROUND

Overeating and harmful alcohol and tobacco use have been linked to the aetiology of various non-communicable diseases, which are among the leading global causes of morbidity and premature mortality. As people are repeatedly exposed to varying sizes and shapes of food, alcohol and tobacco products in environments such as shops, restaurants, bars and homes, this has stimulated public health policy interest in product size and shape as potential targets for intervention.

OBJECTIVES

1) To assess the effects of interventions involving exposure to different sizes or sets of physical dimensions of a portion, package, individual unit or item of tableware on unregulated selection or consumption of food, alcohol or tobacco products in adults and children.2) To assess the extent to which these effects may be modified by study, intervention and participant characteristics.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, eight other published or grey literature databases, trial registries and key websites up to November 2012, followed by citation searches and contacts with study authors. This original search identified eligible studies published up to July 2013, which are fully incorporated into the review. We conducted an updated search up to 30 January 2015 but further eligible studies are not yet fully incorporated due to their minimal potential to change the conclusions.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Randomised controlled trials with between-subjects (parallel-group) or within-subjects (cross-over) designs, conducted in laboratory or field settings, in adults or children. Eligible studies compared at least two groups of participants, each exposed to a different size or shape of a portion of a food (including non-alcoholic beverages), alcohol or tobacco product, its package or individual unit size, or of an item of tableware used to consume it, and included a measure of unregulated selection or consumption of food, alcohol or tobacco.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

We applied standard Cochrane methods to select eligible studies for inclusion and to collect data and assess risk of bias. We calculated study-level effect sizes as standardised mean differences (SMDs) between comparison groups, measured as quantities selected or consumed. We combined these results using random-effects meta-analysis models to estimate summary effect sizes (SMDs with 95% confidence intervals (CIs)) for each outcome for size and shape comparisons. We rated the overall quality of evidence using the GRADE system. Finally, we used meta-regression analysis to investigate statistical associations between summary effect sizes and variant study, intervention or participant characteristics.

MAIN RESULTS

The current version of this review includes 72 studies, published between 1978 and July 2013, assessed as being at overall unclear or high risk of bias with respect to selection and consumption outcomes. Ninety-six per cent of included studies (69/72) manipulated food products and 4% (3/72) manipulated cigarettes. No included studies manipulated alcohol products. Forty-nine per cent (35/72) manipulated portion size, 14% (10/72) package size and 21% (15/72) tableware size or shape. More studies investigated effects among adults (76% (55/72)) than children and all studies were conducted in high-income countries - predominantly in the USA (81% (58/72)). Sources of funding were reported for the majority of studies, with no evidence of funding by agencies with possible commercial interests in their results.A meta-analysis of 86 independent comparisons from 58 studies (6603 participants) found a small to moderate effect of portion, package, individual unit or tableware size on consumption of food (SMD 0.38, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.46), providing moderate quality evidence that exposure to larger sizes increased quantities of food consumed among children (SMD 0.21, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.31) and adults (SMD 0.46, 95% CI 0.40 to 0.52). The size of this effect suggests that, if sustained reductions in exposure to larger-sized food portions, packages and tableware could be achieved across the whole diet, this could reduce average daily energy consumed from food by between 144 and 228 kcal (8.5% to 13.5% from a baseline of 1689 kcal) among UK children and adults. A meta-analysis of six independent comparisons from three studies (108 participants) found low quality evidence for no difference in the effect of cigarette length on consumption (SMD 0.25, 95% CI -0.14 to 0.65).One included study (50 participants) estimated a large effect on consumption of exposure to differently shaped tableware (SMD 1.17, 95% CI 0.57 to 1.78), rated as very low quality evidence that exposure to shorter, wider bottles (versus taller, narrower bottles) increased quantities of water consumed by young adult participants.A meta-analysis of 13 independent comparisons from 10 studies (1164 participants) found a small to moderate effect of portion or tableware size on selection of food (SMD 0.42, 95% CI 0.24 to 0.59), rated as moderate quality evidence that exposure to larger sizes increased the quantities of food people selected for subsequent consumption. This effect was present among adults (SMD 0.55, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.75) but not children (SMD 0.14, 95% CI -0.06 to 0.34).In addition, a meta-analysis of three independent comparisons from three studies (232 participants) found a very large effect of exposure to differently shaped tableware on selection of non-alcoholic beverages (SMD 1.47, 95% CI 0.52 to 2.43), rated as low quality evidence that exposure to shorter, wider (versus taller, narrower) glasses or bottles increased the quantities selected for subsequent consumption among adults (SMD 2.31, 95% CI 1.79 to 2.83) and children (SMD 1.03, 95% CI 0.41 to 1.65).

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

This review found that people consistently consume more food and drink when offered larger-sized portions, packages or tableware than when offered smaller-sized versions. This suggests that policies and practices that successfully reduce the size, availability and appeal of larger-sized portions, packages, individual units and tableware can contribute to meaningful reductions in the quantities of food (including non-alcoholic beverages) people select and consume in the immediate and short term. However, it is uncertain whether reducing portions at the smaller end of the size range can be as effective in reducing food consumption as reductions at the larger end of the range. We are unable to highlight clear implications for tobacco or alcohol policy due to identified gaps in the current evidence base.

Can currently available advanced combustion biomass cook-stoves provide health relevant exposure reductions? Results from initial assessment of select commercial models in India

Household air pollution from use of solid fuels is a major contributor to the national burden of disease in India. Currently available models of advanced combustion biomass cook-stoves (ACS) report significantly higher efficiencies and lower emissions in the laboratory when compared to traditional cook-stoves, but relatively little is known about household level exposure reductions, achieved under routine conditions of use. We report results from initial field assessments of six commercial ACS models from the states of Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh in India. We monitored 72 households (divided into six arms to each receive an ACS model) for 24-h kitchen area concentrations of PM2.5 and CO before and (1-6 months) after installation of the new stove together with detailed information on fixed and time-varying household characteristics. Detailed surveys collected information on user perceptions regarding acceptability for routine use. While the median percent reductions in 24-h PM2.5 and CO concentrations ranged from 2 to 71% and 10-66%, respectively, concentrations consistently exceeded WHO air quality guideline values across all models raising questions regarding the health relevance of such reductions. Most models were perceived to be sub-optimally designed for routine use often resulting in inappropriate and inadequate levels of use. Household concentration reductions also run the risk of being compromised by high ambient backgrounds from community level solid-fuel use and contributions from surrounding fossil fuel sources. Results indicate that achieving health relevant exposure reductions in solid-fuel using households will require integration of emissions reductions with ease of use and adoption at community scale, in cook-stove technologies. Imminent efforts are also needed to accelerate the progress towards cleaner fuels.

Results of Laboratory Testing of 15 Cookstove Designs in Accordance with the ISO/IWA Tiers of Performance

The widespread adoption and sustained use of modern cookstoves has the potential to reduce harmful effects to climate, health, and the well-being of approximately one-third of the world's population that currently rely on biomass fuel for cooking and heating. In an effort to understand and develop cleaner burning and more efficient cookstoves, 15 stove design and fuel/loading combinations were evaluated in the laboratory using the International Workshop Agreement's five-tiered (0-4) rating system for fuel use and emissions. The designs evaluated include rocket-type combustion chamber models including reduced firepower, sunken pots, and chimneys (three stoves); gasifier-type combustion chambers using prepared fuels in the form of wood pellets (four stoves); forced draft stoves with a small electric fan (five stoves); and a single insulated charcoal stove with preheated secondary air. It was found that a charcoal burning stove was the only stove to meet all the Tier 4 levels of performance. Achieving over 40% thermal efficiency at high power was made possible by reducing firepower and gaps around the pot, although batch-fed stoves generally do not "turn down" for optimal low power performance. While all stoves met Tier 4 for carbon monoxide, only stoves equipped with electrical fans reduced respirable particulate matter to Tier 4 levels. Finally, stoves with chimneys and integrated pots were fuel efficient and virtually eliminated indoor emissions. It is hoped that these design techniques will be useful in further development and evolution of high-performance cookstove designs.

Benefits and costs of improved cookstoves: assessing the implications of variability in health, forest and climate impacts

Current attention to improved cook stoves (ICS) focuses on the "triple benefits" they provide, in improved health and time savings for households, in preservation of forests and associated ecosystem services, and in reducing emissions that contribute to global climate change. Despite the purported economic benefits of such technologies, however, progress in achieving large-scale adoption and use has been remarkably slow. This paper uses Monte Carlo simulation analysis to evaluate the claim that households will always reap positive and large benefits from the use of such technologies. Our analysis allows for better understanding of the variability in economic costs and benefits of ICS use in developing countries, which depend on unknown combinations of numerous uncertain parameters. The model results suggest that the private net benefits of ICS will sometimes be negative, and in many instances highly so. Moreover, carbon financing and social subsidies may help enhance incentives to adopt, but will not always be appropriate. The costs and benefits of these technologies are most affected by their relative fuel costs, time and fuel use efficiencies, the incidence and cost-of-illness of acute respiratory illness, and the cost of household cooking time. Combining these results with the fact that households often find these technologies to be inconvenient or culturally inappropriate leads us to understand why uptake has been disappointing. Given the current attention to the scale up of ICS, this analysis is timely and important for highlighting some of the challenges for global efforts to promote ICS.

Inaccuracies in dosing drugs with teaspoons and tablespoons

BACKGROUND

We aimed to evaluate the potential inaccuracies in administering the desired dose of drugs with teaspoons and tablespoons.

METHODS

We collected all the different teaspoons/tablespoons that were available in 25 households in the area of Attica, Greece and measured their volume capacity (ml).

RESULTS

A total of 71 teaspoons and 49 tablespoons were provided by the 25 women (mean age 48.0 years) study participants. When these utensils were filled with water, the volume capacity of the 71 teaspoons and 49 tablespoons ranged from 2.5 to 7.3 ml (the mean and the median volume was 4.4 ml). When the standardised teaspoon was used, the volume ranged from 3.9 to 4.9 ml among the total of the 25 study participants. When a subset of five study participants filled this teaspoon with paracetamol syrup, mean volume was 4.8 ml.

CONCLUSIONS

Teaspoons and tablespoons are unreliable dosing devices, and thus their use should no longer be recommended.

Exposure to antimony from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) trays used in ready-to-eat meals

Antimony residues, a result of the use of a polycondensation catalyst in the production of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) oven-proof trays, were analysed in ready-to-eat meals. The toxicity of antimony has raised concerns about consumer safety; therefore, the migration of small fractions of these residues into ready meals and foods as a result of cooking directly in the PET trays was studied. A straightforward approach of measuring real samples was selected to obtain accurate exposure data. Background antimony concentration was determined separately from a series of lunch meals, which ranged from not detectable to 3.4 microg kg(-1). Microwave and conventional oven-cooking caused a distinct increase in the concentration of antimony in food and ready meals of 0-17 and 8-38 microg kg(-1), respectively, depending, to a certain extent, on the industrial preparations. The migrated quantities of antimony corresponded to 3-13 microg. For comparison, PET roasting bags and ready-made dough products in PET baking dishes were also evaluated. About half of the products prepared at a temperature of 180 degrees C exceeded the specific migration limit set for food contact material by the European Commission. However, the migrated amounts of antimony relative to the accepted tolerable daily intake (TDI) show that exposure from this type of food is currently not of toxicological concern.

Migration of formaldehyde and melamine monomers from kitchen- and tableware made of melamine plastic

Migration of one or both formaldehyde and/or melamine monomers was found in seven of ten tested melamine samples bought on the Danish market. The samples were a bowl, a jug, a mug, a ladle, and different cups and plates. No violation of the European Union-specific migration limits for melamine (30 mg kg-1) and formaldehyde (15 mg kg-1) was found after three successive exposures to the food stimulant 3% acetic acid after 2 h at 70 degrees Celsius. To investigate the effects of long-term use, migration tests were performed with two types of cups from a day nursery. Furthermore, medium-term use was studied by ten successive exposures of a plate to 3% acetic acid for 30 min at 95 degrees Celsius. The results indicate that continuous migration of formaldehyde and melamine takes place during the lifetime of these articles. The molar ratio of released formaldehyde to melamine was seen to decrease from 12 to about 5. This indicates that, first, the migration of residual monomers is most important, but in the long-term, breakdown of the polymer dominates. Two CEN methods were used to determine the concentration of monomers: a spectrophotometric method for formaldehyde and a UV-HPLC method for melamine.

Morphological Significance of Cladosporium Contaminants on Materials and Utensils in Contact with Food

Cladosporium contaminants on materials and utensils that come into contact with food were morphologically investigated. The most common contaminants, C. cladosporioides and C. sphaerospermum, were detected on the samples. The morphological changes of the Cladosporium species were investigated by using stereoscopic, optical light, fluorescent, and scanning electron microscopes. Microscopically the Cladosporium contaminants were observed as aggregated dark brown spots, strongly pigmented, irregularly swollen, and in long chains. Using fluorescent microscopy, the Cladosporium mycelia were clearly stained with fluorescein diacetate as viable cells, but the old cells were mostly non-viable, as shown by staining with propidium iodide. The dynamics of the morphological changes showed that the penetrating mycelia were closely attached to the surface of the materials and utensils under investigation. These results provide information about the significance of Cladosporium contamination on materials and utensils in contact with food and may contribute to the control of fungal contamination.

Readiness to implement hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) systems in Iowa schools

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate current food-handling practices, food safety prerequisite programs, and employee knowledge and food safety attitudes and provide baseline data for implementing Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) systems in school foodservice.

DESIGN

One member of the research team visited each school to observe food-handling practices and assess prerequisite programs using a structured observation form. A questionnaire was used to determine employees' attitudes, knowledge, and demographic information.

SUBJECTS/SETTING

A convenience sample of 40 Iowa schools was recruited with input from the Iowa Department of Education.

STATISTICAL ANALYSES

Descriptive statistics were used to summarize data. One-way analysis of variance was used to assess differences in attitudes and food safety knowledge among managers, cooks, and other foodservice employees. Multiple linear regression assessed the relationship between manager and school district demographics and the food safety practice score.

RESULTS

Proper food-handling practices were not being followed in many schools and prerequisite food safety programs for HACCP were found to be inadequate for many school foodservice operations. School foodservice employees were found to have a significant amount of food safety knowledge (15.9+/-2.4 out of 20 possible points). School districts with managers (P=.019) and employees (P=.030) who had a food handler certificate were found to have higher food safety practice scores.

APPLICATIONS/CONCLUSIONS

Emphasis on implementing prerequisite programs in preparation for HACCP is needed in school foodservice. Training programs, both basic food safety such as ServSafe and HACCP, will support improvement of food-handling practices and implementation of prerequisite programs and HACCP.

[Air microflora of university cafeteria]

The numbers of aerobic mesophilic bacteria, yeasts and moulds were obtained by sedimentation method. The investigation included six areas, which have been separated on the ground of their function: 1. washing and peeling of potatoes and vegetables, 2. initial treatment of raw materials, 3. washing up of kitchen utensils, 4. cooking of meals, 5. serving of meals, 6. dining room. The samples of air were collected in 32 investigation points in the morning (8-8(30)) and in the afternoon (15-15(30)). Twelve series of measurements were carried out and in general 768 of air samples were tested. The results show that numbers of bacteria, moulds and yeasts were variable and received respectively 75-4550, 0-4565 and 0-290 cfu/m3. Analysis of variance proved that differences between mean number of microorganisms in the air were significant in dependence on the kind of place, time of a day and series of measurements. In the morning the highest microbiological contamination characterized the air of "washing and peeling" area. In the afternoon the number of all groups of microorganisms in the air of 1 and 2 areas was reduced. In the other places the amount of bacteria and yeasts increased, but mean number of moulds was reduced. Respectively 3% and almost 20% of air tested samples not answered for bacteria and fungi numbers recommended to kitchen areas. Filamentous fungi were represented mainly by Cladosporium sp. and Penicillium sp.

Health hazards of ceramic artists

Ceramic artists can be exposed to many hazards including metals (such as lead), fibrogenic dusts (such as silica), heat, repetitive motion, radiation, and toxic emissions from kilns. The health risks of these exposures have not been well characterized among artists, although limited information is available from commercial potteries. Adverse health effects may be prevented by using less hazardous materials (such as lead-free glazes), improved ventilation, and proper work practices. Special precautions must be in place if children have access to the ceramics studio. The use of glazed ceramic dishes can be a risk for lead toxicity. Food should not be stored in glazed ceramics, and pregnant women should avoid daily use of ceramic mugs for drinking hot beverages.

Acid extraction of lead and cadmium from newly-purchased ceramic and melamine dinnerware

Imported dishes can present human health hazards in two ways: (1) dinnerware that contains toxic metals in excessive amounts may gain entry to the US; and (2) imported decorative ceramic plates may be improperly labeled regarding permissible use with food. In the present study, non-random samples of dishes were purchased in new condition in US retail outlets and subjected to 24-h acid leaching tests. Two of 28 patterns of imported ceramic dinnerware were found to release lead in levels that exceed US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) limits, and 10 other patterns released lead in concentrations exceeding California Proposition 65 (CA 65) limits. One imported ceramic dish released cadmium in excess of FDA limits. Samples of new foreign-made melamine (plastic) dinnerware in four patterns released neither lead nor cadmium in detectable concentrations. One of three patterns of imported decorative ceramic plates released lead in concentrations exceeding 2000 micrograms/ml. These plates are not permanently labeled as hazardous and are in noncompliance with FDA regulations.

Studies on leaching of Cr and Ni from stainless steel utensils in certain acids and in some Indian drinks

Leachates of Cr and Ni from stainless steel utensils viz., frying pans, bowls and tumblers, have been investigated, by exposing the utensils to decinormal solutions of citric, tartaric and lactic acids and to some common Indian drinks. A comparison of observed results indicate that the complexation of metal ions with organic acid anions is most vital and metal leaching is largely a function of the availability of free anions. The intake of Cr and Ni by human beings has also been calculated.

[Chrome, nickel and manganese in stainless steel cooking utensils and legal regulations]

Assaying chromium nickel and manganese for specific migrations with a 4%-acetic acid under specific time and temperature related conditions is an obligatory part of the hygienic safety surveillance. Routine surveillance of a larger number of imported cooking utensils has shown the specific migrations to be more or less above the maximum allowances for chromium and/or nickel, and less frequently so for manganese. Further tests with repeated extraction, however, revealed that the levels of all three metals in most of the unfit samples were within the allowed limits. With respect to our findings, and to a longer period of use of the cooking utensils, amendments to the current regulations demanding obligatory testing after repeated extraction seem justified.

Small dishwashers for hospital ward kitchens

A comparison of the cleaning efficiency and thermal disinfection capabilities of 12 small dishwashers being used in hospital wards was carried out. Machines installed prior to the establishment of a local purchase policy failed to achieve the standards required for hygienic washing up. Machines conforming to the purchasing criteria gave a satisfactory performance.

Combined compositional analysis and threshold of regulation as a possible control measure for microwave susceptors

A testing scheme is described whereby the susceptor is heated in an enclosed system and potential volatile migrants detected by GC-FID or GC-MS. This compositional information is then combined with knowledge on the relationship between volatility and transfer to foods to predict migration levels. The scheme can be simplified to a threshold of regulation approach by addition of internal standards at suitable concentrations. This approach could be of value in screening new susceptor compositions for potential migrants, followed, as required, by more exhaustive testing using foods or food simulants. In support of this approach, 15 model substances with a boiling range of 77-440 degrees C were incorporated into susceptors via the vapour phase or by formulation into the adhesive. Migration to microwaved foods was measured to provide the required information on the approximate relationship between the boiling point of a potential migrant and its migration level. The impregnated susceptors were also used to measure migration of the model substances to the test simulants Tenax and a semi-solid simulant of olive oil and water absorbed on an inert support. Migration to both simulants was much higher than to foods, indicating that for volatiles analysis at least, both simulants are suitable for screening purposes and err on the side of safety.

Safety assessment of microwave susceptors and other high temperature packaging materials

A number of packaging materials are being used not only to contain food during distribution but also to serve as the cooking container. The higher temperatures that these materials reach led the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue an intent to publish new regulations in 1989. The food and packaging industries responded by conducting extensive research and submitting the results to FDA. The methods used and results obtained are discussed. Most of the data were focused on microwave susceptors and the volatile compounds generated. One project showed that for a specific product, popcorn, there was no transfer into the food. Work is continuing to validate methods to test for non-volatile compounds. In addition to susceptors, various paper and plastic materials are used in dual ovenable (microwave and conventional ovens) applications. Most of the research on these materials has investigated the food contact temperatures on testing for migrants. An update on the current regulatory status of packaging materials intended for high temperature use in the US is discussed.

Use of high temperature-resistant sorbents as simulants for testing

The amended Council Directive 82/711/EEC will include the test conditions for plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with foodstuffs at high temperature. The most stringent test condition (excluding susceptor materials) will be heating of the material for 2 h at 175 degrees C in a conventional oven. For fatty foodstuffs, olive oil (simulant D), synthetic triglycerides or sunflower oil shall be used for the test. If these simulants are found inappropriate, other simulants and conditions of time and temperature may be used. In order to perform a correct evaluation of such materials one must distinguish between volatile and non-volatile migrants, between additives and decomposition products, and between overall and specific migration. No universally applicable simulant has been found yet which is able to provide all the data needed for evaluation. The advantages and limitations of a high temperature-resistant simulant will be described.

Vehicular traffic as a determinant of blood-lead levels in children: a pilot study in Mexico City

The major determinants of blood-lead levels were studied in 90 children who attended an outpatient pediatric clinic in Mexico City. All children, who were from 1-10 y of age, were from homes for which socioeconomic status had been categorized as medium to high. Blood-lead levels ranged from 0.17 (standard deviation [SD] = 0.008) to 1.21 (SD = 0.06 mumol/l). The main determinant of blood-lead levels was place of residence. Children who lived on private streets (i.e., low-traffic areas) had a significantly lower blood-lead level than children who lived on large avenues and who resided close to main roads (p = .0001, r2 = .27). This observation documented high exposure levels among children who live in Mexico City and suggested that leaded fuel used in Mexico could play an important role in determining blood-lead levels in this population.

Comparison of feeding history of children with Indian childhood cirrhosis and paired controls

One hundred prospectively studied children with Indian childhood cirrhosis (ICC) in Pune District, India, differed from 100 matched controls with respect to feeding history. Animal milk was used in all ICC cases but not in 27 controls. It had been started by 3 months in 63 cases and by 6 months in 82 cases of ICC, as compared with 15 and 25 controls. Twenty-four ICC cases received no breast feeding, and 45 and 60 were breast fed for less than 3 and less than 6 months, respectively; only 10 control children were breast fed for less than 6 months. All ICC children's feeds had been in contact with brass vessels. Copper vessels were used for water carriage with equal frequency in cases and controls. Girls predominated amongst healthy older siblings of cases. Ninety-one healthy siblings of cases had been fed similarly to controls. Three pairs of twins with similar feeding histories died with ICC, whereas two pairs were discordant for feeding and outcome. Hepatic copper loading in ICC is attributable to copper contamination of early animal milk feeds.

Lead poisoning: unusual manifestation and unusual source

Images

An inherent design fault in a deep fat fryer

We wish to report on a design fault in the lid of a deep fat fryer which may lead to the unwary sustaining scalds of the hand.

A microbiological study of various food premises with an assessment of cleaning and disinfection practices

A study of cleaning and disinfection methods in a variety of types of catering premises has been carried out. The level of bacterial contamination of the hands and of equipment was related to cleaning methods and to the type of catering establishment. Wiping cloths were frequently contaminated with Escherichia coli, and these may be important reservoirs of bacteria for contamination of the hands of catering staff. Regular and efficient cleaning of food surfaces and equipment was found to be more important than the use of a disinfectant as part of the cleaning process. Methods for reducing the risks of cross-contamination in catering premises are discussed.