Exposure of halogenated organic compounds via food

Recent discoveries of unexpected high levels of organohalogen contaminants in edible algae have indicated their likely transfer through the food web and risks of human exposure.

This raises important questions about human exposure via other food types because of discoveries of a ubiquitous and extensive organohalogen formation in soil. In fact, organohalogens are more abundant than inorganic halogens in many soils.

We hypothesize that the organohalogen production in terrestrial environments, leads to a trophic transfer and a potential large human exposure of organohalogens via food.

The total levels of organohalogens and their unknown chemical diversity in food products from forests and agriculture (wild game meat and their food sources, berries and mushrooms as well as crops for human consumption and meat from livestock and fodder) will be quantified.

In addition to analyses of total organohalogens by Combustion Ion Chromatography (CIC), the project will investigate the currently unknown organohalogen chemical diversity by novel combinations of high-resolution analyses such as GC-PID-XSD-MS (halogen specific detector), UPLC-IMS-QTof-MS (with capacity to screen for and quantify known and unknown compounds), and FT-ICR-MS (detect most molecular formulas in complex mixtures).

This first mapping of dietary total organohalogen exposure and how it is regulated is a necessary initial step towards knowledge on consequences of the potential human exposure of organohalogens via food.