Characterizing chronic and acute health risks of residues of veterinary drugs in food: latest methodological developments by the joint FAO/WHO expert committee on food additives

Abstract

The risk assessment of residues of veterinary drugs in food is a field that continues to evolve. The toxicological end-points to be considered are becoming more nuanced and in light of growing concern about the development of antimicrobial resistance, detailed analysis of the antimicrobial activity of the residues of veterinary drugs in food is increasingly incorporated in the assessment. In recent years, the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) has refined its approaches to provide a more comprehensive and fit-for-purpose risk assessment. This publication describes in detail the consideration of acute and chronic effects, the estimation of acute and chronic dietary exposure, current approaches for including microbiological endpoints in the risk assessment, and JECFA's considerations for the potential effects of food processing on residues from veterinary drugs. JECFA now applies these approaches in the development of health-based guidance values (i.e. safe exposure levels) for residues of veterinary drugs. JECFA, thus, comprehensively addresses acute and chronic risks by using corresponding estimates for acute and chronic exposure and suitable correction for the limited bioavailability of bound residues by the Gallo-Torres model. On a case-by-case basis, JECFA also considers degradation products that occur from normal food processing of food containing veterinary drug residues. These approaches will continue to be refined to ensure the most scientifically sound basis for the establishment of health-based guidance values for veterinary drug residues.ARTICLE HISTORY

Human Health Risks Related to Penicillin G and Oxytetracycline Residues Intake Through Beef Consumption and Consumer Knowledge About Drug Residues in Maroua, Far North of Cameroon

“…The 97.5th percentile food consumption amount was used because of its statistical robustness and is more representative than the maximum food consumption amount (29).…”

Harmonized methodology to assess chronic dietary exposure to residues from compounds used as pesticide and veterinary drug

“…The latest methodological developments to characterize chronic and acute health risks of residues of veterinary drugs in food were described in a recent paper (Boobis et al 2017). This paper noted that in many cases the toxicological effects of pesticides in laboratory animals on which the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) is established do not change after 2-3 months of treatment and are often similar to (or even the same as) those observed after chronic (e.g.…”

Antimicrobial drug residues in animal‐derived foods: Potential impact on the human intestinal microbiome

“…Human clinical and epidemiological studies on the exposure of high therapeutic doses of antimicrobial drugs disruptive effects on the GI tract microbiota are well known (Francino 2015). However, the impact of residue concentrations of veterinary drugs in human food on public health, when ingested either via chronic (daily consumption over a lifetime), or acute (1‐day), exposure events (Boobis et al 2017), specifically the potential for ingested residues to alter the human intestinal microbiome and promote the emergence and selection of antimicrobial‐resistant bacteria, is an evolving science with many opportunities for research to fill knowledge gaps to assess human health risks. Dietary exposure to residues of veterinary drugs in animal‐derived foods in humans can depend on many factors, including the level of food consumption, concentration of drug residue, route of exposure, bioaccessibility, bioavailability, pharmacokinetics, and metabolism.…”