Endocrine Disrupters and Food Safety

The general population is constantly exposed to a mixture of endocrine disrupters (ED), mainly through the food chain.The dietary exposure pathways are diverse, since ED can: i) affect diet components most liable to environmental pollution (e.g., polychlorinated and polybrominated chemicals in lipid-rich foods); ii) be employed in food production (e.g., certain groups of agrochemicals); iii) be released from food contact materials or during food production processes (such as bisphenol A or phthalates); iv) last but not least, be naturally present in food: endocrineactive nutrients and bioactive substances, such as iodine and phytoestrogens, respectively, may elicit health risks when intakes are excessive. Main health concerns from dietary exposure to ED include the building-up of a pollutants body burden and the potential for additive, "cocktail" effects.