The document discusses health hazards of food contaminants. It defines a food contaminant as any substance not intentionally added to food or present due to production, manufacturing, or processing. Contaminants can be biological, chemical, or physical. The health hazard of a contaminant depends on both its toxicity and level of exposure. Pesticide residues are a common type of chemical contaminant in foods. Pesticides can affect human health through short or long-term effects like cancer, birth defects, and organ damage. The document outlines issues with pesticide use in Nepal and interventions by the government to monitor residues and promote good practices.

1. HEALTH HAZARDS OF
FOOD CONTAMINANTS
Yakindra Prasad Timilsena
(Food Research Officer)
Department of Food Technology and Quality Control,
Babarmahal, Kathmandu

2. Food contaminants
Volume 1 of the Codex Alimentarius defines a food
contaminant as follows:
Any substance not intentionally added to food
or
Any substance present in food as a result of the
production (including operations carried out in crop
husbandry, animal husbandry and veterinary
medicine), manufacture, processing, preparation,
treatment, packing, packaging, transport or holding
of such food or as a result of environmental
contamination.
Does not include insect fragments, rodent hairs
and other extraneous matters.

3. Contaminants
Pollutants
Toxicants
Impurities
Residual unwanted materials

4. Health Hazard = Toxicity x
Exposure
risk; the the capacity
potential of a
for contaminant
the risk of a
injury to cause
contaminant
injury contacting or
entering the
body

5. Hazard
Higher toxicity = greater hazard
◦ Lower toxicity = less hazard
Higher exposure = greater hazard
◦ Lower exposure = less hazard
North Carolina Dept. of Agriculture
and Consumer Services

6. Hazard
Physical Chemical Biological
noise, lighting,
vibration, solvents, acids, bacteria, virus,
temperature, metals, dust, fungus/molds
electricity pesticides
 occupational side of environmental health
 Ergonomic-repetitive movement, poorly designed
equipment

7. Food Borne hazards
Biological Contamination
Associated with poor domestic sanitation
and hygiene arrangements
Chemical Contamination
E.g. food additives, pesticides

8. Vector Borne Hazards
Water related vectors
E.g. malaria, guinea worm, schistosomiasis
Animal related vectors
E.g. sleeping sickness, bubonic plague

9. Pesticide Residues as
Food Contaminants
Pesticides are chemical / biological
substances which kill the insect (excluding
honey bees) weeds and fungi selectively by
not harming the host
Within
the specified dose, not toxic to the
mammals and is only toxic to the target
pest

10. Major Types of Pesticides
Insecticides
Herbicides
Plant growth regulators
Fungicides
Rhodenticides
House hold
(Insect repellants)

11. Pesticides and Humans
Insects,rodents, and humans have similar
nervous, circulatory, and respiratory
systems, so pesticides can affect people
too!
Health effects - short- or long-term

12. Health
risks
Carcinogenic
Mutagenic
Teratogenic (interfere with
normal embryonic
development)
Birth defects
SYMTOMS Reproductive problem
rash, headache, Liver, Kidney, Neural
nausea, dizziness
damage
Other fatal effect

13. Current scenario
• Rejection of Nepalese agricultural commodities
(honey and tea) in EU market
• Lack of enforcement of GAP
• Lack of Pesticide Residue Monitoring Plan and
Mechanism
• Lack of awareness about risks and safety issues
• Low national priority

14. Government Interventions
• Till 2010, GoN set obligatory pesticide residue
restriction (MRLs) in some foods
• Cereals, pulses & their products
• Processed water
• Infant foods
• From 1995-2007, the total samples contaminated
with pesticides were 12.1%
• Analysis of honey and tea showed that pesticide
residues in Nepalese honey is below MRLs
established by EU and Codex.
• DFTQC developed RMP which is on the process of
finalizing with the trading allies
• Pesticide related Reference Material production
and dissemination by DFTQC.

15. Pesticides in Nepalese foods
(1995-2007)
Total samples analysed: 1034
No. of contaminated samples: 126

16. Government Interventions
contd…
• Total diet study (TDS) conducted in 2009 and 2010
• Diet analysed for 97 types of pesticides
• Revealed the use of banned pesticides in cereals,
pulses, vegetables, beaten rice and bread.
• Random samples of food items collected from
• Ilam, Jhapa, Dhankuta, Morang and Sunsari
• Chitwan, Hetauda, Janakpur, Sindhupalchowk
and Dhading
• Gorkha and Kaski
• Nepalgunj and Surkhet
• Mahendranagar, Dadeldhura, Kanchanpur, Doti
• Residue of chlorpyrophos, malathion, cypermethrin and
fenvalerate were found in bread.

17. Good Practices as preventive
tool
• Pesticides are used in household level,
hotels and restaurants for the control of
insects and pests
• Various codes of conduct and good
practices developed
• Keeping the food away from pesticides
• Separate storage of chemicals and eatables
• Proper cleaning of utensils
• Washing the fruits and vegetable with plenty of
water
• Preventing the access of the pests/ proofing of
entrances and other access points
• Use of electronic pest killers
• Periodic cleaning of the floor and tables

18. Ways forward
• Strict enforcement of GAP
• Focus on awareness programs
• Formation of RMP and its mechanism
• Building analytical capability of laboratory
and human resources
• Co-ordination of multi-organization: Dept
of Agriculture, DFTQC, Dept. of veterinary,
consumers, farmers, agro-enterperneurs,
media etc.
• Alternative technologies(biobased
pesticides, less toxic chemicals, less
dependent cropping system)

19. “Food is not food if it is not safe.”
Thank you for your
patience