Foodborne Chemical Toxins
Reza Afshari, MD, PhD
The BCCDC/NCCEH Environmental Health Seminar Series provides an opportunity for learning and knowledge exchange on a variety of environmental health topics. The seminars can be attended in-person or online.
Speaker: Reza Afshari, MD, MPH, PhD. Senior Scientist, Toxicology, BCCDC
Abstract: Chemical exposures have been associated with a variety of health effects. Food can be a major pathway through which the general population is exposed to certain types of chemicals. For some chemicals, food accounts for 100% of human exposures. The results of a 10-year project at the World Health Organization on Foodborne Chemical Toxins, the first project of its kind at the WHO, have been released in December 2015. Our team has estimated that four chemicals, cyanide in cassava, peanut allergen, aflatoxin, and dioxin, were responsible globally for 339,000 illnesses, 20,000 deaths and 1,012,000 DALYs in 2010. The significant impact of chemicals in the food supply on the global burden of disease will be discussed.