RISKS DUE

TO
CHEMICALS
IN FOOD

Introduction
All foods, living matter and, indeed, our bodies themselves
Allmade
are
up of chemicals.
foods,
living matter and, indeed,

themselves
madenaturally
up and
our
Manybodies
of the chemicals
found in are
food occur
include
nutrients such as carbohydrates, protein, fat, fibre
of chemicals.
and
a host of other elements and compounds.
There are many potentially harmful
or toxic chemicals present in the
food we eat, whether occurring
naturally, as contaminants, or as
deliberate additives..

Chemicals present in our food in many ways.

Contaminants
Additives
Pesticides or Veterinary Medicines
Some natural components of plants may themselves
cause toxicity. Eg. glycoalkaloids in potatoes.

CONTAMINANTS
These are the substances present in certain foodstuffs
due to environmental contamination, cultivation practices,
production processes or cooking practices.
Some contaminants are formed naturally, carried over to
food from water, soil or air. Or created as a bi-product
of the food production process itself.
If contaminants present above certain levels, these can
pose a threat to human health.

->dioxins

->Acrylamide

->Aflatoxin

EFFECTS
EXCESS INTAKE OF ACRYLAMIDE CAN CAUSE:
DNA damage.
Cancer
Drowsiness
Megrim
AFLATOXIN CAUSES LIVER DAMAGE.
DIOXINS CAN CAUSE CANCER.

ADDITIVES
These are substances added to food to
preserve flavor or enhance its taste and
appearance.
The best known additives are:

Preservatives
Flavors
Colors

Preservatives are mainly used

To prevent bacterial and fungal growth.
To prevent oxidation (which can lead to
rancidity).
To inhibit natural ripening of fruits and
vegetables.

 long lasting food means more preservatives.

More
All packaged foods are tinted with preservatives.

Sodium benzoate and benzoic acid are food preservatives found in sauces,
fruit juices, jams and pickled products. can cause allergic reactions and other
side effects.

Potassium bromate is used in breads and other bakery products to increase

their volume. The residual amount of this oxidizing agent in bread, is harmful
if consumed.

Sodium Nitrates and nitrites are chemical compounds commonly used in making
cured meat products like bacon and hot dogs. Excessive consumption of sodium
nitrate is known to worsen asthma and decrease lung function.
.

Color additives are used in foods for many reasons:

To offset color loss due to exposure to light, air,
temperature extremes, moisture and storage conditions.
To correct natural variations in color.
To enhance colors that occur naturally
To provide color to colorless and "fun" foods.

used infoodproducts cause many health problems | Children should be

encouraged to takefoodmade with fresh fruits andvegetables
Artificial colours are made out of petro chemicals. Orange colour is generally
used to give colour to sweet recipes likeRavvakesari. Children who consume
sweet, junk and fastfoodwith artificial colours face behaviour problems and
other problems of growth. There would be more ill effects in the long run
and children lose concentration.

Keep away from candies,andsweets. Red colour that is

used in these causes some types of allergies and chronic
diseases like thyroid. Usage of dark red colour caused
deadly cancer and other genetic problems
. Dangerous tumours are formed in brain due to blue1 and
blue2 colours. Red rashes may appear on the skin. This
colour may cause skin related and other chronic allergies.
Green colour is used while cooking green peas, gel, kulfis,
paneerrecipes, cakes and jams. Excess use of this
colour causes asthma and cancer.

FLAVORS
Flavorings are chemical formulations that mimic the flavors and smells of
foods.
McDonald's, for example, adds "chicken flavor" to its Chicken McNuggets
The chemical Octyl Acetate is the main component in orange flavor, while
isoamyl acetate is the main component of banana flavor.
Flavors causes less harm comparitively.

PESTICIDES
Pesticidesare substances or mixture of substances intended for preventing,
destroying, repelling or mitigating any pest.

Five common types of deadly pesticides are the herbicides ,fungicides

,heavy metals ,insecticides and DDT.

Herbicides kill the unwanted weeds in the field without affecting the crops.
Herbicides have a high variable toxicity. It is one of the possible causes of
carcinogenicity as well as other continuing problems such as being a part
cause of Parkinsons disease.
Fungicides are chemical or biological substance used against fungi or fungal
spores. Residues of the fungicides have been found on the food that humans
consume.

Plants also take up small amounts of heavy metals and can concentrate
them.Heavy metals such as lead and cadmium are already toxic in small
quantities.
The insecticide is a pesticide used against insects that damages the crops.
The insecticide is used in agriculture, industry, medicine, and in the household
DDT or dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane is a powerful pesticide that is long
banned because it is poisonous to humans and animals. One of the better
known effects of DDT is the decrease in the bird population as it reduces the
thickness of the egg shells on predatory birds decreasing its viability. In
humans, this causes defects in newborn babies.

EFFECTS OF PESTICIDES ON HUMAN HEALTH

Some of the effects of pesticide on humans are the damage to

the reproductive system, nervous system, and other organs,
behavioural and developmental abnormalities, interference of hormone
function as well as affecting the immunity system. The pesticides
gather in the fat deposits in the body where they stay and cause a
lot of damage. Most of the infants and young children drinking breast
milk ingest pesticides as women who eat fruits and vegetables that
have been sprayed with pesticides may pass the pesticides through
their breast milk while pregnant women can pass the pesticides onto
their fetus.

GLYCOALKALOID (NATURAL TOXIN)

Many plants in theSolanaceaefamily contain glycoalkaloids, and they are
considered to be natural toxins.
Amongst the most widely cultivated food crops, aubergines, tomatoes and
potatoes are in theSolanaceaefamilY
Causes nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach cramps and headache. More
serious cases have experienced neurological problems, including hallucinations
and paralysis, and fatalities have also been recorded.

EAT HEALTHY & STAY HEALTHY

THANK YOU