| dc.description.abstract | SUMMARY
This article reviews the food toxicological characteristics of heavy metals and
metalloids, as well as their public health significance in foods. Different heavy
metals are found in the environment as natural components, however, they can
primarily get into the foods of animal origin and the body of human consumers
due to anthropogenic (industrial, agricultural, traffic) activities. Heavy metals are
not biodegradable, they are accumulated in living organisms and metabolised
mostly to more toxic, rarely to less toxic derivatives by biochemical processes.
The persistent heavy metals (e.g. Hg, Pb, Cd) found in the environment can get
into the body of the superior species and then of the man. Thus, due to their
environmental polluting and accumulation properties, their enrichment in the
food chain is highly important from public health aspects. The regulations of
the European Union and Hungary in force lay down maximum levels for limited
number of metals and metalloids and the range of regulated foods of animal
origin is also narrower than in the past, e.g. wild game animals and eggs are not
included. The regulation of wild game meat (including offal) should particularly
be considered because its contamination is in close correlation with the status
of the environment where animals reside, thus they are sensitive indicators of it. | en_US |
