FOOD POLLUTION

POLLUTION:
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat, or light. Pollutants, the elements of pollution, can be foreign substances or energies, or naturally occurring; when naturally occurring, they are considered contaminants when they exceed natural levels.

POLLUTANT:
A pollutant is a waste material that pollutes air, water or soil. Three factors determine the severity of a pollutant: its chemical nature, the concentration and the persistence.

TYPES OF POLLUTION
Air pollution Light pollution Noise pollution Soil contamination Radioactive contamination Water pollution Food pollution

Thermal pollution Visual pollution

SOURCES OF FOOD POLLUTION:

1.The Farm 2.The slaughterhouse 3.Preparation 4.Improper Storage 5.Common Food Pollution Pollutants
i. ii. iii. iv. v. Pesticides Perchlorate PCBs Benzene Mercury

RISK FACTORS TO THE HEALTH:

1. Improper cooking methods. 2. Many drugs in foods, such as arsenic, mercury, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, bismuth. 3. Astringents, solvents and emulsifiers drain out vitamins. 4. Preservatives, analgesics such as nicotine, alcohol, and aspirin. 5. Antibiotics kill vitamin-producing organisms within the large intestine.

6. Bleaching agents used in white flour products destroy delicate nutrients. 7. Sulphuring of foods for preservation and use of sulphides. 8. Insecticides and disinfectants. 9. Alkaline phosphatases. 10. Artificial colors and sweeteners are similar to coal tar dyes, inks, paints, injections, and sprays.

FOOD POLLUTION DISEASES:

1. 2. 3. 4. Gastrointestinal problems Nervous system problems Cancers Thyroid dysfunctions

FOOD SAFETY AND FOODBORNE ILLNESS ACCORDING TO WHO:

Definition of foodborne illness:
Foodborne illnesses are defined as diseases, usually either infectious or toxic in nature, caused by agents that enter the body through the ingestion of food. Every person is at risk of foodborne illness.

Magnitude of foodborne illness:

1. In 2005 alone 1.8 million people died from diarrhoeal diseases. 2. In industrialized countries, the percentage of the population suffering from foodborne diseases each year has been reported to be up to 30%. 3. The high prevalence of diarrhoeal diseases in many developing countries suggests major underlying food safety problems. 4. While most foodborne diseases are sporadic and often not reported, foodborne disease outbreaks may take on massive proportions. e.g In 1988, an outbreak of hepatitis A, resulting from the consumption of contaminated clams, affected some 300,000 individuals in China.

MAJOR FOODBORNE DISEASES FROM MICROORGANISMS:

1. Salmonellosis 2. Campylobacteriosis 3. Cholera 4. Enterohaemorrhagic (causing intestinal bleeding) E. coli Infections 5. Listeriosis

Other food safety problems: some major examples

 Naturally occurring toxins, such as mycotoxins, marine biotoxins, cyanogenic glycosides and toxins occurring in poisonous mushrooms. Unconventional agents such as the agent causing bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or "mad cow disease"). Persistant Organic Pollutants (POPs). Metals: such as lead and mercury.

Challenges and developments in food safety. Future directions for food safety at the World Health Organization (WHO).