Acrylamide results from the heating of high-starch foodstuffs. In animal tests it caused cancer. There is no conclusive evidence that acrylamide has a carcinogenic effect in humans.
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Aluminium is the most common metallic element in the earth’s crust. The metal and its compounds are used in many different ways. Humans absorb aluminium primarily through food.
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Arsenic is a metalloid that is best known because of its toxicity. It is a natural component in many minerals and is released into the atmosphere through volcanic eruptions, for example. However, arsenic is also released through mining, metallurgy and burning fossil fuels (coal, crude oil). Arsenic was previously used in the production of pesticides, fertilizers and wood preservatives, although this kind of application is prohibited today.
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Biogenic amines result from fermentation and maturation during food production processes, but also in foodstuff decay. They provide aroma and flavour, but can also cause headaches or food poisoning.
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Biomonitoring encompasses evaluations from multiple years of measurements in rural locations in Upper Austria and recommendations regarding orientation values for standardised grass culture and for surface growth on meadow grass.
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Lead is a natural environmental contaminant and due to erosion and volcanic activity is to be found in the environment everywhere.
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Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal found in the environment in many places due to erosion and volcanic activity as well as industrial emissions. AGES tested foodstuffs for cadmium from 2007 until 2012.
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Dioxins are the undesired by-products of various chemical processes and of almost all combustion processes. Similar to these, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), which are similar to these, used to be used intentionally, but have been banned worldwide since 2001.
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The additive is used as an antioxidant in the feedstuff industry, in particular to improve the shelf life of fat-soluble vitamins and other fatty or otherwise oxidation-affine components (such as unsaturated fatty acids). Ethoxyquin is also used as a feed additive in fishmeal to prevent combustion during transport. The use of Ethoxyquin as a pesticide has been banned in the European Union since 2011.
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Furan kommt in erhitzten Lebensmitteln vor. Höhere Gehalte werden in Kaffeebohnen und Produkten nachgewiesen, die in geschlossenen Behältern erhitzt werden, wie Gemüse- und Fleischkonserven sowie Gläschenkost für Säuglinge. Die Europäische Behörde für Lebensmittelsicherheit (EFSA) kommt auf Basis von Tierversuchsstudien zu dem Schluss, dass Furan Leberschäden und Leberkrebs verursachen kann.
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Austria’s Federal Ministry of Health commissioned AGES to carry out a risk assessment in connection with recent events in Carinthia involving environmental contamination with hexachlorobenzene. This risk assessment applies exclusively to foodstuffs originating from the region of the Görschitz Valley.
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Iodine is an essential nutrient and an important component of thyroid hormones. Seaweed and algae products, which are characterised by their high iodine content, have increasingly been sold on the European market in recent years.
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MCPDs and glycidyl fatty acid esters are formed during the production of vegetable oils. They are found in palm oil, but also in other vegetable oils and fats, as well as in foods containing these oil/fats as ingredients. These substances are cause for health concerns.
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Microplastics are currently under discussion as an environmental risk. There is no evidence of adverse health effects caused by microparticles made from plastics in foods, according to current knowledge. Additionally, the use of microplastics in cosmetics for skin applications is not considered a health risk.
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Mycotoxins are toxins formed by moulds in fields, but also during poor storage of cereals and dried fruit. As they can cause acute and chronic illnesses in humans and animals, foodstuffs and animal feed are check tested for possible contamination.
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Nitrat findet man in Lebensmitteln vor allem in Salat und Spinat. Nitrat wird u. a. im Körper in gesundheitsschädliche Substanzen umgewandelt. Daher werden die Nitratgehalte in Salat und Spinat laufend kontrolliert.
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Pesticides include all products used to keep harmful organisms under control and protect plants. AGES tests foodstuffs for pesticide residues.
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PFOS (Perfluoroctansulfonsäure) und PFOA (Perfluoroctansäure) sind Industriechemikalien, die jahrzehntelang bei der Herstellung einer Vielzahl von Produkten verwendet wurden. Sie sind schwer abbaubar und mittlerweile überall in der Umwelt verbreitet. Daher sind sie auch in der Nahrungskette und im Menschen nachweisbar.
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Pyrrolizidinalkaloide (PA) sind Pflanzeninhaltsstoffe, die nach Einnahme die Gesundheit, insbesondere die Leber, schädigen können und sind daher in Lebens- und Futtermittel unerwünscht. Weltweit wurden PA bisher in etwa 350 Pflanzenarten nachgewiesen.
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Mercury finds its way into the environment via both natural processes (e.g. volcanic eruptions) and industrial processes (e.g. burning coal or heating oil). From 2007 to 2013 around 50 domestic and 600 non-domestic fish were tested for mercury.
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PAHs result from incomplete combustion processes or pyrolysis of organic materials (wood, coal, petroleum, oil, tobacco, refuse) or foodstuffs (barbecuing, roasting, smoking, drying).
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AGES evaluates the results of the residue control plan from the point of view of health-related consumer protection.
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Here you will find an overview of various veterinary drugs and hormones, e.g. anti-parasitics, penicillins or tranquillisers (sedatives).
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Tropane alkaloids are natural plant substances that occur in a variety of plants. Plants form tropane alkaloids as a protection against being eaten (e.g. by insects). They are also toxic to humans.
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AGES - Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety
