Pollutants in Edibles

POLLUTANTS IN EDIBLES

Definition
The general meaning of edibles is the Articles that are fit to eat especially for humans.
We can classify edibles generally into the following categories
Grains
Vegetables
Non-vegetables (Meat, fish, marine organisms etc.)
Sweets
Snacks
Beverages
Food pollution risks depend on a variety of factors, including:
Type of pollutant – while any pollutant present in food may pose a health risk, the pollutants that are persistent and bio accumulative are those that pose the higher risks because they may accumulate in food over time resulting in concentrations much higher than in a surrounding environment
e.g., accumulation of persistent chemicals such as PCB’s in fish
Hormones in food may also pose serious risks that are still uncertain . e.g. contamination of cow milk with an artificial hormone (rBGH) used to increase milk production which can cause cancer
Type of food – fish and birds feeding on food are dangerous as fish has higher potential exposer to pollutants.
Each individual person’s health
How Does Pollution Affect a Food Web?
Pollution from environment (soil, sediments, water and air) gets into the food web by polluting plants or animals that come in contact with environmental pollution.
For example, water pollution, may accumulate and concentrate in fish. Fish may be consumed by birds and other animals and the pollution gets transferred through the food chains until it reach humans.
By the time food pollution meat reaches humans, the pollution may be substantially increased as compared to original concentration. Thus human intoxication cases may be serious.