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FAO/ WHO Expert Consultation on Dietary Risk Assessment of Chemical Mixtures. Final report

(Risk assessment of combined exposure to multiple chemicals) WHO , Geneva 16-18 April 2019








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    Report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation on the Risks and Benefits of Fish Consumption. Rome, 25-29 january 2010 2011
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    The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization convened a Joint Expert Consultation on the Risks and Benefits of Fish Consumption from 25 to 29 January 2010. The tasks of the Expert Consultation were to review data on levels of nutrients (long-chain omega-3 fatty acids) and specific chemical contaminants (methylmercury and dioxins) in a range of fish species and to compare the health benefits of fish consumption and nutrient intake with th e health risks associated with contaminants present in fish. The Expert Consultation drew a number of conclusions regarding the health benefits and health risks associated with fish consumption and recommended a series of steps that Member States should take to better assess and manage the risks and benefits of fish consumption and more effectively communicate these risks and benefits to their citizens. The output of the Expert Consultation is a framework for assessing the net health ben efits or risks of fish consumption that will provide guidance to national food safety authorities and the Codex Alimentarius Commission in their work on managing risks, taking into account the existing data on the benefits of eating fish. The Expert Consultation concluded the following: Consumption of fish provides energy, protein and a range of other important nutrients, including the long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCn3PUFAs). Eating fish is part of the cultural traditi ons of many peoples. In some populations, fish is a major source of food and essential nutrients. Among the general adult population, consumption of fish, particularly fatty fish, lowers the risk of mortality from coronary heart disease. There is an absence of probable or convincing evidence of risk of coronary heart disease associated with methylmercury. Potential cancer risks associated with dioxins are well below established coronary heart disease benefits from fish consumption. W hen comparing the benefits of LCn3PUFAs with the risks of methylmercury among women of childbearing age, maternal fish consumption lowers the risk of suboptimal neurodevelopment in their offspring compared with the offspring of women not eating fish in most circumstances evaluated. At levels of maternal exposure to dioxins (from fish and other dietary sources) that do not exceed the provisional tolerable monthly intake (PTMI) of 70 pg/kg body weight established by JECFA (for PCDDs, PCD Fs and coplanar PCBs), neurodevelopmental risk for the fetus is negligible. At levels of maternal exposure to dioxins (from fish and other dietary sources) that exceed the PTMI, neurodevelopmental risk for the fetus may no longer be negligible. Among infants, young children and adolescents, the available data are currently insufficient to derive a quantitative framework of the health risks and health benefits of eating fish. However, healthy dietary patterns that include fish consumpti on and are established early in life influence dietary habits and health during adult life.
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    FAO technical meeting on the gut microbiome in food safety chemical risk assessment
    Rome, 12–14 December 2023, meeting report
    2024
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    The FAO Technical Meeting on the Gut Microbiome in Food Safety Chemical Risk Assessment was held in Rome on 12–14 December 2023. A multidisciplinary group of 17 participants attended the Meeting: 11 experts and 1 resource person – risk assessors and microbiome ecologist experts – and 5 FAO team members. The objective was to explore challenges and needs for applying microbiome data in future chemical risk assessment. The meeting resulted in the identification of a series of steps required to facilitate further considerations and integration of microbiome data into the risk assessment of regulated substances.The initial discussions led to the identification of current challenges limiting the current usability of available microbiome data for risk assessment purposes. These included the need for definitions, improved and fit-for-purpose study designs based on realistic exposure scenarios, suitable and predictable biomarkers and endpoints, a better understanding of microbiome-chemical and microbiome-host interactions, support for interpreting microbiome study results, and linking those to adverse effects. Discussions evolved to address technical questions related to microbiome science, specifically in sampling, models, and omics technologies, and to consider new developments with more significant and relevant potential to improve the field. The experts identified the advantages, shortcomings, and potential improvements of various methodological approaches, models, and omics methods. They also highlighted the methods most suitable for addressing specific research questions related to chemical exposure, such as interactions between chemicals and the microbiome and related adverse health effects. However, there is a critical need for guidelines covering several research aspects, including the reporting of findings. Additionally, the meeting highlighted the need for international standardization and harmonization of different aspects of microbiome methodologies.The experts also identified several critical aspects where the inadequacy of available data currently hampers the systematic inclusion of microbiome data in the risk assessment of regulated substances. These inadequacies can be roughly grouped into three categories, i.e. definitions, research needs, standardization and standard harmonization. This initial brainstorming meeting paved the way for follow-up meetings to address these categories which will likely require the involvement of a broader group of experts and disciplines.
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