Risk assessment of inorganic arsenic in EU rice-based infant products and strategies to reduce exposure

Project Information

RICENIC

Grant agreement ID: 622096

Project closed

Start date 28 April 2014

End date 27 April 2016

Funded under

• Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013)

Total cost € 221 606,40

EU contribution € 221 606,40

Coordinated by

THE QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY OF BELFAST
United Kingdom

Objective

Inorganic arsenic (i-As) has been identified as a non-threshold carcinogen. Children are particularly susceptible to As exposure and early-life exposure may adversely affect long-term health, yet there are no EU standards for i-As or total (t-As), given that i-As in water is tightly regulated yet food sources dominate EU exposure. The levels of tolerable dietary exposure to i-As have been reviewed and the WHO Tolerable Weekly Intake has been withdrawn as data has shown that i-As causes cancer and other health problems at lower exposures. The main exposure route to i-As in the EU is dietary, and rice is the main source. Rice accumulates significantly higher levels of As than other crops. Infant consumers of rice-based products are one of the population groups in the EU with higher exposure levels. However, exposure calculations have been based on occurrence figures of t-As from limited and non-representative numbers of samples. More As speciation data for different rice-based infant products are required to support dietary exposure assessment and define risk assessment of i-As. The main objectives of the RICENIC project are i) provide an accurate risk assessment of i-As exposure of EU infants and ii) set up feasible recommendations to reduce i-As burden in rice-based infant products based on agricultural and industrial practices. The expected results are a) the generation of a database of t-As, i-As and As bioaccessibility/bioavailabiliy in cereal-based infant food marketed in the EU, b) the assessment and risk characterization of i-As in EU infants, c) determination of the effects of the agricultural practices on the As concentration and speciation in rice grain, d) determination of the effects of manufacturing processes on the As concentration and speciation in rice-based infant products and e) enhance the framework for understanding i-As in the human diet with respect to informing the setting of i-As standards in food.

Fields of science

• engineering and technology › mechanical engineering › manufacturing engineering
• agricultural sciences › agriculture, forestry, and fisheries › agriculture › grains and oilseeds
• medical and health sciences › health sciences › nutrition
• medical and health sciences › clinical medicine › oncology
• natural sciences › chemical sciences › inorganic chemistry › metalloids

Programme(s)

• FP7-PEOPLE - Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013)

Topic(s)

• FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IEF - Marie-Curie Action: "Intra-European fellowships for career development"

Call for proposal

FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IEF
See other projects for this call

Funding Scheme

MC-IEF - Intra-European Fellowships (IEF)

Coordinator

THE QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY OF BELFAST

• EU contribution: € 221 606,40
• Address: UNIVERSITY ROAD LANYON BUILDING ; BT7 1NN Belfast ; United Kingdom
• Region: Northern Ireland › Northern Ireland › Belfast
• Activity type: Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
• Administrative Contact: Aveen Lavery (Ms.)
• Total cost: No data