Regulation of arsenic in seafood: FSANZ set maximum levels for arsenic in foods during its review of the Ccode in 1999. Proposal P157 – Contaminants in Food – Metals assessed which foods contributed significantly to dietary exposure to arsenic and set levels accordingly (Table 4.20).
Table 4.20: Maximum levels for arsenic in seafood in the Code
Commodity
ML (mg/kg)
Crustacea
2
Fish
2
Molluscs
1
Hazard identification and characterisation: The most relevant toxicological data, other than industrial exposure, are derived from studies of human populations exposed to arsenic in drinking water. Skin lesions, including hyperkeratosis and pigmentation, are characteristic and the most sensitive indicators of long-term toxicity of inorganic arsenic. Chronic arsenic exposure is associated with a multiplicity of cancers.
The lowest observed effect level of 0.0029 mg/kg bw/day for inorganic arsenic is based on population studies done in Taiwan, where drinking water exposures for periods of 12 years to whole-of-life were associated with cancers (skin, liver, bladder, lung). This level is effectively a lowest observed effect level for arsenic intake, but has also been shown to be indicative of a ‘threshold’ value, below which increased incidence of skin cancer could not be associated with arsenic exposure. This level, rounded-off to 0.003 mg/kg bw/day was taken to be the provisional tolerable daily intake (PTDI) for inorganic arsenic for the purpose of a previous risk assessment on arsenic in food performed by FSANZ under the review of the Code.
