Global food security is one of the most pressing issues for humanity, and agricultural production is critical for achieving this. The existing analyses of specific threats to agricultural food production seldom bring out the contrasts associated with different levels of economic development and different climatic zones. We therefore investigated the same biophysical threats in three modelled types of countries with different economic and climatic conditions. The threats analysed were environmental degradation, climate change and diseases and pests of animals and plants. These threats were analysed with a methodology enabling the associated risks to be compared. The timeframe was 2012-2050 and the analysis was based on three underlying assumptions for 2050: the world population will have increased to 9 billion people, there will be a larger middle class in the world and climate change will be causing more extreme weather events, higher temperatures and altered precipitation. It is suggested that the risks, presented by the biophysical threats analysed, differ among the three modelled types of countries and that climate zone, public stewardship and economic strength are major determinants of these differences. These determinants are far from evenly spread among the world's major food producers, which implies that diversification of risk monitoring and international assessment of agricultural production is critical for assuring global food security in 2050.

Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is used as a plastic softener in the polymer industry and is widespread in medical devices. DEHP has been incriminated as an endocrine-disrupting chemical, and the effects of DEHP in various species have included disturbances in the reproductive system. The effects of the chemical have varied, depending upon exposure routes and species. This study was performed in order to characterise the kinetics of DEHP and its metabolite mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP) in the young male pig, an omnivore model-species for research in reproductive toxicology. Eight pigs were given 1000 mg DEHP/kg bodyweight by oral gavage. The concentrations of DEHP and MEHP were then measured in the plasma and tissues of the pigs at different time points after administration. There was no consistent rise above contamination levels of concentrations of DEHP in the plasma of the pigs. However, the metabolite MEHP reached the systemic blood circulation. The half-life of MEHP in the systemic blood circulation was calculated to be 6.3 h. Absorption from the intestine was biphasic in six of the eight pigs and the mono-exponential elimination-phase started 16 h after the after the administration of DEHP. To conclude, MEHP consistently reaches the systemic circulation in the pig when DEHP is administered orally. The kinetic pattern of the parent substance on the other hand is more difficult to characterise.

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