Rapport 12 − 2007 Risks and Benefits of Fish Consumption A Risk-Benefit Analysis Based on the Occurrence of Dioxin/PCB, Methyl Mercury, n-3 Fatty Acids and Vitamin D in Fish by W Becker, P O Darnerud and K Petersson-Grawé LIVSMEDELS VERKET NATIONAL FOOD ADMINISTRATION, Sweden � Produktion: Livsmedelsverkets rapportserie är avsedd för publicering Livsmedelsverket, Box 622 av projektrapporter, metodprövningar, utredningar m m. SE-751 26 Uppsala, Sweden I serien ingår även reserapporter och konferensmaterial. Teknisk redaktör: För innehållet svarar författarna själva. M Olausson Rapporterna utges i varierande upplagor och tilltrycks Tryck: i mån av efterfrågan. De kan rekvireras från Livsmedels- Kopieringshuset, Uppsala verkets kundtjänst (tel 018-17 55 06) till självkostnadspris (kopieringskostnad + expeditionsavgift). Uppsala 2008-01-07 Abbreviations/Glossary........................................................................................... 3 Preface..................................................................................................................... 5 Summary ................................................................................................................. 6 Overall conclusions............................................................................................. 6 Consumption of fish in Sweden.......................................................................... 8 Content of nutrients and environmental pollutants ............................................. 8 Quantitative risk-benefit assessments ................................................................. 9 Model calculations using Swedish data ............................................................ 10 Expertise requirements for risk-benefit assessments ........................................ 11 Summary of Appendix 1. Health Effects .......................................................... 12 Summary of Appendix 2. Risk Management.................................................... 15 Background ........................................................................................................... 16 Aims and Scope..................................................................................................... 18 Consumption of fish in Sweden............................................................................ 19 Adults................................................................................................................ 19 High consumers................................................................................................. 24 Children............................................................................................................. 25 Content of nutrients and environmental pollutants ............................................... 27 Nutrients............................................................................................................ 27 Environmental pollutants .................................................................................. 28 Organic environmental pollutants................................................................. 28 Methyl mercury............................................................................................. 29 Intake of nutrients and environmental pollutants from fish .................................. 31 Nutrients............................................................................................................ 31 Adults............................................................................................................ 31 Children......................................................................................................... 31 Dioxins and PCB............................................................................................... 32 Adults............................................................................................................ 32 Children......................................................................................................... 33 Methyl mercury................................................................................................. 34 Adults............................................................................................................ 34 Children......................................................................................................... 35 Assessments of benefits and risks......................................................................... 36 Assessment of benefits of fish consumption..................................................... 36 Risk assessments............................................................................................... 37 Dioxins and PCB........................................................................................... 37 MeHg............................................................................................................. 39 Risk characterisation ......................................................................................... 40 Low fish consumption................................................................................... 40 Low intake of DHA in pregnancy ................................................................. 41 Intake of vitamin D ....................................................................................... 41 Dioxins/PCB ................................................................................................. 42 MeHg............................................................................................................. 42 Conclusions....................................................................................................... 43 Methods for comparing risks and benefits ............................................................ 45 DALYs and QALYs.......................................................................................... 45 Other risk-benefit assessments of fish consumption .........................................48 Conclusions .......................................................................................................50 Model calculations of intake of nutrients and environmental pollutants using Swedish data..........................................................................................................51 n-3 fatty acids and dioxin/PCB..........................................................................51 Vitamin D and MeHg ........................................................................................53 Intake of environmental pollutants based on SNO............................................58 Conclusions .......................................................................................................60 Overall conclusions ...............................................................................................61 Recommendations for future work....................................................................63 Resource and expertise requirement..................................................................64 Appendix 1 Health Effects of Fish Consumption Appendix 2 Risk Management References 2 National Food Administration Report Series No. 12/2007 Abbreviations/Glossary Term Detail AA Arachidonic acid, 20:4 n-6 Atopy Inherited tendency to develop e.g. allergic conjunctivitis, hay fever, allergic asthma and dry itchy eczema Benchmark- Approach that involves fitting a model to dose-response data. method A reference point for risk assessment is derived from the model that also takes into account the uncertainties in the data CNS Central nervous system, the brain DDT 1,1,1-trichloro-2,3-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethylene DHA Docosahexaenoic acid, 22:6 n-3 DPA Docosapentaenoic acid, 22:5 n-3 Dioxins (In common parlance) polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (=PCDD/PCDF) DL-PCB Dioxin-like PCB congeners EPA Eicosapentaenoic acid, 20:5 n-3 HCB Hexachlorobenzene HCH Hexachlorocyclohexane Hg Chemical symbol for mercury JECFA WHO/FAO scientific expert committee: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants Cognitive A child’s intellectual development. Cognitive functions development include perception, conceptualisation, memory, reasoning, problem solving, concentration LOAEL Lowest Observed Adverse Effect Level MeHg Methyl mercury, the chemical form of mercury found in fish NO(A)EL No Observed (Adverse) Effect Level n-3 fatty acids Fatty acids in the n-3 series n-6 fatty acids Fatty acids in the n-6 series PCB Polychlorinated biphenyls PCB- congeners Various types of PCB compounds PCDD/PCDF Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans PTWI Provisionally tolerable weekly intake. The amount of a substance on a body weight basis that an individual can be exposed to, at population level, during a lifetime without perceptible risk of negative effects. Term used by the WHO/FAO scientific committee in risk assessment of substances that have effects upon chronic exposure. Reference dose A estimation (with an uncertainty of around one order of magnitude) of daily intake in the population, including all vulnerable groups, that probably does not lead to any harmful effects during a lifetime. Used by e.g. the US authorities. National Food Administration Report Series No. 12/2007 3 Term Detail TEQ Toxic equivalents. 17 congeners of dibenzodioxins/ dibenzofurans and 12 congeners of dioxin-like PCB have been allocated so-called TEF (toxic equivalency factors), which means that their toxicity has been evaluated