Informe del Comité Científico de la Agencia Española de Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición (AESAN) sobre la presencia y la seguridad de los plásticos como contaminantes en los alimentos

Résumé

The use of plastics is widespread in both industry and domestic life as food packaging material and as a material that comes into contact with food. Therefore, plastics and their environmental impact, especially in the marine environment, arouse great interest and concern. Microplastics have been the focus of most of the studies carried out so far due to their growing presence in the natural environment and their potential to be transferred between trophic levels. It is necessary not only to make an exhaustive assessment of the presence of microplastics in the environment and food, but also of their effects on human´s health. This report attempts to review the presence of microplastics in food and address dietary exposure to plastics that access the food chain after contaminating the environment. The data on levels of microplastics in foods come, mainly, from fish, molluscs and crustaceans. Among the non-seafoods studied, drinking water and salt stand out, among others. However, quality data on the occurrence of microplastics in food remain scarce, especially for non-seafoods. The determination of plastic polymers not only requires the standardisation of methods of analysis that allow for the reproducibility and comparison of the results alongside their monitoring but also a consensus on the definition, description and expression of the results. Micro- and nanoplastics have the potential to be transferred between trophic levels and, therefore, the risk characterisation and the assessment of dietary exposure to them constitutes a current challenge for food safety alongside the study of the role of plastics as vectors of other contaminants and pathogenic microorganisms. With the information and data currently available, there is insufficient information to characterise the potential toxicity of microplastics in humans. The potential effects of microplastics on the health of consumers are still unknown and require further research. The lack of extensive knowledge on the toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics of these pollutants and their health effects prevents from making a solid risk characterisation, although many authors expect that the risk derived from dietary exposure to plastics and derivatives is low. Despite this, the publication of experimental and epidemiological studies that associate prolonged exposure to very small doses with adverse effects keeps alive this growing concern of the scientific community regarding dietary exposure to plastics and their additives. This Committee concludes that the exposure assessment of plastics, microplastics and nanoplastics cannot be assessed yet and the risk assessment cannot be concluded, although it suggests that future research on these food contaminants may provide innovative solutions for the implementation of measures that minimise human dietary exposure, and at the same time, regulate the maximum levels of their main molecules in foods. The global commitment to reduce, reuse or recycle plastic materials is the best tool to mitigate the environmental and health impact of these pollutants..