scholarly journals Ochratoxin A in Beers Marketed in Portugal: Occurrence and Human Risk Assessment

Toxins ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liliana J. G. Silva ◽  
Ana C. Teixeira ◽  
André M. P. T. Pereira ◽  
Angelina Pena ◽  
Celeste M. Lino
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Ochratoxin A ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Case Scenario ◽  
Limit Of Quantification ◽  
Analytical Methodology ◽  
Worst Case ◽  
Weekly Intake ◽  
Human Risk ◽  
Tolerable Weekly Intake

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is produced by fungi present in several agricultural products with much relevance to food safety. Since this mycotoxin is widely found in cereals, beer has a potential contamination risk. Therefore, it was deemed essential to quantify, for the first time, the levels of OTA in beer, a cereal-based product that is marketed in Portugal, as well as to calculate the human estimated weekly intake (EWI) and risk assessment. A total of 85 samples were analyzed through immunoaffinity clean-up, followed by liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection (LC-FD). This analytical methodology allowed a limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.43 µg/L. The results showed that 10.6% were contaminated at levels ranging between <LOQ and 11.25 µg/L, with an average of 3.14 ± 4.09 µg/L. Samples of industrial production presented lower incidence and contamination levels than homemade and craft beers. On what concerns human risk, the calculated EWI was significantly lower than the tolerable weekly intake (TWI). However, in the worst case scenario, based on a high concentration, the rate EWI/TWI was 138.01%.

scholarly journals Occurrence and Risk Assessment of Mycotoxins through Polish Beer Consumption

Toxins ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Grajewski ◽  
Robert Kosicki ◽  
Magdalena Twarużek ◽  
Anna Błajet-Kosicka
Keyword(s):  
Ochratoxin A ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Daily Intake ◽  
Maximum Level ◽  
Case Scenario ◽  
Limit Of Quantification ◽  
Worst Case ◽  
Beer Consumption ◽  
Food Consumption Data ◽  
The Mean

Poland is one of Europe’s leading producers and exporters of beer. The study, herein, describes the measurement of ochratoxin A, deoxynivalenol, nivalenol, T-2 toxin, HT-2 toxin, diacetoxyscirpenol, and zearalenone levels in 69 Polish beers. Analytical methodologies based on high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) and fluorescence detection were developed, validated, and used to perform the above determinations. The most prevalent mycotoxins were deoxynivalenol (96%), ochratoxin A (93%), and HT-2 toxin (74%), respectively. Three quarters of the samples contained at least three analytes. The mean ochratoxin A concentration was 0.057 (SD 0.065) ng/mL, and in four beer samples its level exceeded 0.2 ng/mL, a value postulated in the literature to be the maximum limit. Deoxynivalenol was found at a maximum level of 56.2 ng/mL, and its mean concentration was 17.1 (SD 9.0) ng/mL. An evaluation of the estimated daily intake (EDI) of mycotoxins from beer in different European populations was made using food-consumption data prepared by WHO. Based on the mean ochratoxin A concentration in beers, the EDI represented 0.8–1.1% of the tolerable daily intake (TDI), while in a worst-case scenario (maximum concentration) it reached 5.0–7.5% of TDI. For deoxynivalenol, the EDI was in the range of 4.1–6.0% of TDI, whereas, based on maximum values, it reached the level of 14–21% of TDI. There were no significant differences between “scenarios” in the HT-2 case (mean—5.0–7.5% of TDI; maximum—6.5–9.7% of TDI) due to the fact that its concentration was near the limit of quantification (LOQ) value taken for calculation. The significance of these results are discussed, herein.

scholarly journals TSUNAMI RISK ASSESSMENT MODELLING IN CHABAHAR PORT, IRAN

2017 ◽  
Vol XLII-2/W7 ◽  
pp. 461-467
Author(s):  
M. R. Delavar ◽  
H. Mohammadi ◽  
M. A. Sharifi ◽  
M. D. Pirooz
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Western India ◽  
Case Scenario ◽  
Worst Case ◽  
Dry Land ◽  
Great Loss ◽  
Makran Subduction Zone ◽  
Tsunami Waves ◽  
Historical Tsunami

The well-known historical tsunami in the Makran Subduction Zone (MSZ) region was generated by the earthquake of November 28, 1945 in Makran Coast in the North of Oman Sea. This destructive tsunami killed over 4,000 people in Southern Pakistan and India, caused great loss of life and devastation along the coasts of Western India, Iran and Oman. According to the report of "Remembering the 1945 Makran Tsunami", compiled by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (UNESCO/IOC), the maximum inundation of Chabahar port was 367 m toward the dry land, which had a height of 3.6 meters from the sea level. In addition, the maximum amount of inundation at Pasni (Pakistan) reached to 3 km from the coastline. For the two beaches of Gujarat (India) and Oman the maximum run-up height was 3 m from the sea level. In this paper, we first use Makran 1945 seismic parameters to simulate the tsunami in generation, propagation and inundation phases. The effect of tsunami on Chabahar port is simulated using the ComMIT model which is based on the Method of Splitting Tsunami (MOST). In this process the results are compared with the documented eyewitnesses and some reports from researchers for calibration and validation of the result. Next we have used the model to perform risk assessment for Chabahar port in the south of Iran with the worst case scenario of the tsunami. The simulated results showed that the tsunami waves will reach Chabahar coastline 11 minutes after generation and 9 minutes later, over 9.4 Km<sup>2</sup> of the dry land will be flooded with maximum wave amplitude reaching up to 30 meters.

scholarly journals Risk Assessment of Cadmium, Lead, and Mercury on Human Health in Relation to the Consumption of Farmed Sea Bass in Italy: A Meta-Analytical Approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Calogero Di Bella ◽  
Antonino Calagna ◽  
Gaetano Cammilleri ◽  
Pietro Schembri ◽  
Daniela Lo Monaco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Inductively Coupled Plasma ◽  
Hazard Quotient ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Sea Bass ◽  
Target Hazard Quotient ◽  
Weekly Intake ◽  
Tolerable Weekly Intake ◽  
Significant Difference

A risk assessment, related to the consumption of farmed sea bass, was carried out by meta-analysis, taking into account the concentration of trace metals (Cd, Pb, Hg) reported in the literature, the estimated weekly intake (EWI), the provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI), and the target hazard quotient (THQ). The concentrations of Cd, Pb, and Hg in farmed sea bass marketed in Sicily (Southern Italy) were also assessed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) to have screening data for the comparison with literature results. In any case, the results obtained by meta-analysis and by screening were lower than the pre-established legal limits for each metal. The meta-analysis results showed very low levels of Cd (0.031 μg g–1 w.w.), Pb (0.110 μg g–1 w.w.), and Hg (0.023 μg g–1 w.w.). The EWI estimation confirmed safety limits for human health (0.004, 0.015, and 0.003 μg kg–1 for Cd, Pb, and Hg, respectively). Even the THQ demonstrated that farmed sea bass represent a secure food for humans (0.0006, 0.0005, and 0.0048 for Cd, Pb, and Hg, respectively). The comparison with our screening data showed a significant difference only for the Pb levels (p &lt; 0.05). The results obtained were compared with the same indexes relative to other food types (meat, cereals, vegetables, etc.). The EWI and THQ calculated were always lower than same indexes relative to other food types considered.

scholarly journals Honey bee workers reared in a neonicotinoid contaminated in-hive environment

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Odemer ◽  
Franziska Odemer
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Plant Protection ◽  
Plant Protection Products ◽  
List Type ◽  
Case Scenario ◽  
Behavioral Impairment ◽  
Worst Case ◽  
Simple Substitution ◽  
The Individual

ABSTRACTWith the currently updated risk assessment of three neonicotinoid pesticides, the European Food Safety Authority has confirmed that different applications of these substances represent a risk to wild and managed bees and their use was therefore severely restricted. However, to close further gaps in knowledge, this experiment covers exposure of honey bee worker brood reared in a neonicotinoid contaminated in-hive environment with focus on the individual. In a worst case scenario, mini-hives were fed chronically with a sublethal concentration of clothianidin (15 µg/kg), which is highly toxic to bees already in small amounts. Freshly hatched workers from these colonies were subsequently marked and introduced into non-contaminated colonies, where their lifespan and behavior was monitored. Nineteen days after exposure, clothianidin treated bees had no reduced lifespan or showed any signs of behavioral impairment when compared to the control, demonstrating that social buffering is not a simple substitution of dead bees by rearing more brood. Our results suggest that the social environment plays a crucial role for the individual in terms of “superorganism resilience”. These findings are discussed in context with the current use of lower tier test systems in risk assessment and contrary results obtained from laboratory experiments.HIGHLIGHTSSublethal clothianidin treatment did not affect lifespan nor behavior of workers.Effects on individual bees reared within a mini-hive are translatable to full-sized colonies.“Superorganism resilience” is not a simple substitution of dead bees by rearing more brood.Laboratory testing in the risk assessment of plant protection products bears severe weaknesses.

scholarly journals Landscape structure and management alter the outcome of a pesticide ERA: evaluating impacts of endocrine disruption using the ALMaSS European Brown Hare model

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris J. Topping ◽  
Lars Dalby ◽  
Flemming Skov
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Landscape Management ◽  
Emergent Properties ◽  
Gradual Change ◽  
Case Scenario ◽  
European Brown Hare ◽  
Worst Case ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Map Data

There is a gradual change towards explicitly considering landscapes in regulatory risk assessment. To realise the objective of developing representative scenarios for risk assessment it is necessary to know how detailed a landscape representation is needed to generate a realistic risk assessment, and indeed how to generate such landscapes. This paper evaluates the contribution of landscape and farming components to a model based risk assessment of a fictitious endocrine disruptor on hares. In addition, we present methods and code examples for generation of landscape structures and farming simulation from data collected primarily for EU agricultural subsidy support and GIS map data. Ten different Danish landscapes were generated and the ERA carried out for each landscape using two different assumed toxicities. The results showed negative impacts in all cases, but the extent and form in terms of impacts on abundance or occupancy differed greatly between landscapes. A meta-model was created, predicting impact from landscape and farming characteristics. Scenarios based on all combinations of farming and landscape for five landscapes representing extreme and middle impacts were created. The meta-models developed from the 10 real landscapes failed to predict impacts for these 25 scenarios. Landscape, farming, and the emergent density of hares all influenced the results of the risk assessment considerably. The study indicates that prediction of a reasonable worst case scenario is difficult from structural, farming or population metrics; rather the emergent properties generated from interactions between landscape, management and ecology are needed. Meta-modelling may also fail to predict impacts, even when restricting inputs to combinations of those used to create the model. Future ERA may therefore need to make use of multiple scenarios representing a wide range of conditions to avoid locally unacceptable risks. This approach could now be feasible Europe wide given the landscape generation methods presented.

scholarly journals Distant, disconnected and in danger: Are educators doing enough to prepare students for frontline freelance risks?

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Wake
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Personal Safety ◽  
Case Scenario ◽  
News Values ◽  
Worst Case ◽  
Effect Change ◽  
Bearing Witness ◽  
Foreign Correspondents ◽  
The Press ◽  
Assessment Skills

For anyone who has worked in another country, the journalistic ‘rules of engagement’ differ in each port. Foreign correspondents argue passionately for the freedom of the press, saying that by ‘bearing witness’ to crimes against civilians they will be able to effect change. However, in taking risks to report on such events, most journalists recognise that—if their reports displease a particular country’s power elite—they can quickly find themselves deported, banned from future entry, languishing behind bars or, in a worst-case scenario, killed. Using Bourdieuan considerations, this article concentrates on the young, mostly freelance, journalists who have absorbed Western news values—including the myth of the heroic war reporter and truth-seeker—and suggests greater understanding of the cultural and political nuances of countries from which they intend to report. Using journalism as a methodology, this article looks at several cases in which reporters have found themselves in difficulties, and suggests that educators consider sharing three lessons: know your employer; acknowledge local differences between countries; and learn the skill of risk assessment. Risk-assessment skills include stressing the need for sufficient pre-deployment training in first aid, personal safety, security and other protocols and, most importantly, managing exposure to traumatic situations.

scholarly journals SNOW MICROWAVE REFLECTION AT MOBILE PHONE FREQUENCY BANDS

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tarmo Koppel ◽  
Inese Vilcane ◽  
Piia Tint ◽  
Andrei Shiskin
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Electromagnetic Fields ◽  
Reflection Loss ◽  
Mobile Communication ◽  
Case Scenario ◽  
Worst Case ◽  
Fresh Snow ◽  
Microwave Reflection ◽  
Snow Precipitation

Snow should be accounted in electromagnetic fields' risk assessment, especially in Nordic countries where in winter months snow precipitation and coverage may significantly affect the propagation of microwaves. The risk assessment should be always carried out under worst case scenario conditions, including the reflective properties of the surfaces surrounding the antenna. In this study fresh snow microwave reflectance properties were investigated at the mobile communication bands from 1700 to 2700 MHz.The investigation revealed that reflection loss from snow is more dependent from the frequency than from the thickness of snow coverage. Amongst mobile communication bands, the strongest microwave reflection (reflection loss only 3.2dB) was registered at WiFi2G band. Averaging all the snow thicknesses, the highest reflection loss occurs at GSM1800UL (1710-1785 MHz) and UMTS2100DL (2110-2170 MHz) bands. The least attenuation of reflection occurs in adjacent DECT band.

Quantitative Risk Assessment for Human Salmonellosis through the Consumption of Pork Sausage in Porto Alegre, Brazil

2011 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
pp. 553-558 ◽  
Author(s):  
LISANDRA MÜRMANN ◽  
LUIS GUSTAVO CORBELLINI ◽  
ALEXANDRE ÁVILA COLLOR ◽  
MARISA CARDOSO
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Cooking Time ◽  
Quantitative Risk Assessment ◽  
Average Risk ◽  
Porto Alegre ◽  
Case Scenario ◽  
Worst Case ◽  
Pork Sausage ◽  
The People ◽  
Pork Sausages

A quantitative microbiology risk assessment was conducted to evaluate the risk of Salmonella infection to consumers of fresh pork sausages prepared at barbecues in Porto Alegre, Brazil. For the analysis, a prevalence of 24.4% positive pork sausages with a level of contamination between 0.03 and 460 CFU g−1 was assumed. Data related to frequency and habits of consumption were obtained by a questionnaire survey given to 424 people. A second-order Monte Carlo simulation separating the uncertain parameter of cooking time from the variable parameters was run. Of the people interviewed, 87.5% consumed pork sausage, and 85.4% ate it at barbecues. The average risk of salmonellosis per barbecue at a minimum cooking time of 15.6 min (worst-case scenario) was 6.24 × 10−4, and the risk assessed per month was 1.61 × 10−3. Cooking for 19 min would fully inactivate Salmonella in 99.9% of the cases. At this cooking time, the sausage reached a mean internal temperature of 75.7°C. The results of the quantitative microbiology risk assessment revealed that the consumption of fresh pork sausage is safe when cooking time is approximately 19 min, whereas undercooked pork sausage may represent a nonnegligible health risk for consumers.

Ochratoxin A levels in plasma from inhabitants of northern Paraná, Brazil

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 623-632 ◽  
Author(s):  
F.F. Rigobello ◽  
P. Leonello-Álvares e Silva ◽  
C.R.T. Yamashita ◽  
A. Lenhard-Vidal ◽  
A.T. Ishikawa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ochratoxin A ◽  
Plasma Levels ◽  
Human Exposure ◽  
Daily Intake ◽  
Food Contamination ◽  
Aspergillus Ochraceus ◽  
Indirect Competitive Elisa ◽  
Weekly Intake ◽  
Tolerable Weekly Intake ◽  
Liver And Kidney

Ochratoxin A (OTA), a mycotoxin produced by some fungi like Aspergillus ochraceus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus carbonarius and Penicillium viridicatum, is a natural contaminant of many foods worldwide. The intake of OTA is associated with deleterious effects to humans and animals, such as nephro- and hepatotoxicity. Although there are some data about food contamination, there is lack of data about human exposure to OTA in Brazil. Therefore, current research aimed to determine the level of human exposure to OTA and, additionally, identify possible associations with biomarkers of liver and kidney damage. OTA levels were evaluated in plasma samples from 149 individuals living in the state of Paraná, Brazil, by indirect competitive ELISA using monoclonal antibody anti-OTA (cell line OTA.7). Plasma levels of OTA, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, urea and creatinine were submitted to Pearson's correlation test. It was possible to measure OTA levels in 54.4% of the samples (mean 734±296 pg/ml; maximum 1,585 pg/ml), with an estimated daily intake of 983-1,445 pg/kg body weight. There was no correlation between OTA plasma levels and biochemical parameters, possibly due to the low level of contamination. This is one of the first studies concerning the contamination of humans by OTA in Brazil and we conclude that the plasma levels of the evaluated population indicate an estimated weekly intake below the tolerable weekly intake derived by the EFSA Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain. Nevertheless, additional longitudinal studies with greater regional coverage and at different seasonal periods are necessary.

scholarly journals Risk assessment of banknotes as a fomite of SARS-CoV-2 in cash payment transactions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack Schijven ◽  
Mark Wind ◽  
Daniel Todt ◽  
John Howes ◽  
Barbora Tamele ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Rare Event ◽  
Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment ◽  
Case Scenario ◽  
Worst Case ◽  
Microbial Risk Assessment ◽  
Point Of Sale ◽  
Worst Case Scenario ◽  
Single Person ◽  
High Virus

AbstractBackgroundThe COVID 19 pandemic has triggered concerns and assumptions globally about transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus via cash transactions.ObjectivesAssess the risk of contracting COVID-19 through exposure to SARS-CoV-2 via cash acting as a fomite in payment transactions.MethodsA quantitative microbial risk assessment was conducted for a worst-case scenario assuming an infectious person at the onset of symptoms, when virion concentrations in coughed droplets are at their highest. This person then contaminates a banknote by coughing on it and immediately hands it over to another person, who might then be infected by transferring the virions with a finger from the contaminated banknote to a facial mucous membrane. The scenario considered transfer efficiency of virions on the banknote to fingertips when droplets were still wet and after having dried up and subsequently being touched by finger printing or rubbing the object.ResultsAccounting for the likelihood of the worst-case scenario to occur by considering 1) a local prevalence of 100 COVID-19 cases/100,000 persons, 2) a maximum of about 1/5th of infected persons transmit high virus loads and 3) the numbers of cash transactions/person/day, the risk of contracting COVID-19 via person-to-person cash transactions was estimated to be much lower than once per 39,000 days (107 years) for a single person. In the general populace, there will be a maximum of 2.6 expected cases/100,000 persons/day. The risk for a cashier at an average point of sale was estimated to be much less than once per 430 working days (21 months).DiscussionThe worst-case scenario is a rare event, therefore, for a single person, the risk of contracting COVID-19 via person-to-person cash transactions is very low. At a point of sale, the risk to the cashier proportionally increases but it is still low.

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