Environmental Chemical Contaminants in Food: Review of a Global Problem

Table 1

Possible human health hazards due to exposure to food contaminants.

Food contaminants	Possible hazards	References
Metals/metalloids
Lead	Complications in the nervous system and red blood cells	[27]
	Reduction in cognitive development and intellectual performance	[28]
	Death among children	[29]
Cadmium	Renal tubular dysfunction, associated with high risk of lung and breast cancer	[30]
	Osteomalacia and osteoporosis
Arsenic	Associated with dermal, respiratory, nervous, mutagenic, and carcinogenic effects	[31]
Nickel	Associated with dermatotoxicity, lower body weight, and fetotoxicity among pregnant women	[32]
Mercury	Linked to cardiovascular, reproductive, and developmental toxicity, neurotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, immunotoxicity, and carcinogenicity	[33]
Mycotoxins
Aflatoxin	Immunodeficiency	[34]
	Aflatoxicosis	[35]
	Primary hepatocellular carcinoma	[36]
	Liver cirrhosis	[37]
Ochratoxin	Nephropathy	[38]
Deoxynivalenol	Impaired intestinal integrity	[39]
	Impaired gut-associated immune system
Zearalenone	Hyperestrogenism and reproductive dysfunction	[40]
Fumonisins	Esophageal cancer and birth defects	[41]
Antimicrobials
Tetracyclines	Impaired intestinal flora	[42]
Quinolones	Drug-resistant pathogens	[43]
Macrolides	Hypersensitivity and anaphylactic shock	[44]
Sulfonamides	Kidney damage and nephropathy	[45]
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
Benzo[a]pyrene	Mutagenicity and carcinogenicity	[46]
	DNA damage and oxidative stress	[47]
	Impaired male fertility	[48]
	Respiratory diseases	[49]
	Cognitive dysfunction among children	[50]
Pesticides
Chlorpyrifos	Neurological symptoms	[51]
DDTs	Neurological symptoms	[52]
	Endocrine disruption	[53]
DDT and other OCPs	Infertility and fetal malformation	[54]
Dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls
Dioxins and PCBs	Language delay	[55]
	Disturbances in mental and motor development	[56]
PCBs	Neurological disorders	[57]