Document QXMYoV7mvOKE6VD3ynL5Yn5EE

Page 4 June 17, 1974 FOOD CHEMICAL NEWS He said the other concern Involves the establishment of a satisfactory compliance program to Insure that proper enforcement of the FDA established standards is carried out. Desmond contended that FDA does not have enough manpower to police a standard for use of poultry waste, and she argued that the program should not be left to the States to enforce. At the meeting, FDA previewed for the consumers the new film, "Read the Label, Set a Better Table," starring Dick Van Dyke, which is being used to promote nutri tion labeling use, and a TV spot featuring Pearl Bailey (See FOOD CHEMICAL NEWS, June 3, Page 36). Waynes Pines, of FDA's Consumer Education Office, reported that ITT Continental has announced It will use the "Read the Label, Set a Better Table" slogan on Wonder Bread. James Turner, attorney with the Washington law firm of Swankin, Turner & Koch, asked whether use of the slogan on a food package would trigger nutrition labeling requirements. - FDA-ers at the meeting were not sure, but there was a general consensus that It would not. ' * tpA IS DEVELOPING METHODS TO DETECT DIOXINS IN FOOD The Food and Drug Administration has begun the development of analytical methods sensitive enough to detect a wide variety of chlorinated dlbenzo-p-dloxlns In dif ferent types of foods. In material submitted to Chairman Whitten's (D-Mlss.) subcommittee on Agriculture -- Environmental and Consumer Protection Appropriations (See JFOOD CHEMICAL NEWS, June 10, Page 30), FDA noted that the dioxins, which are regarded as "highly toxic," have been Identified In chlorophenols, In products from chlorophenols and In certain foods and feeds. ' --"----------- Earlier this year, FDA detected residues of pentachlorophenols (PCP) In some food products as a result of migration from wrappings and other containers (See FOOD CHEMICAL NEWS, Feb. 25, Page 3). it In the background Information sent to Whitten, FDA noted It has toxicological studies under way on the dioxins. '" -1 Dlbenzofuran Toxicology, Methodology Work Is Begun bv FDA The agency also reported that chlorinated dlbenzofurans were found In one foreign commercial polychlorinated biphenyl product, noting that the chlorinated dlbenzoJurans are generally more toxic than PCBs. MONS 201575 June 17, 1974 Page 5 FOOD CHEMICAL NEWS Examination of domestic and foreign PCBs for dlbenzofurans began In 1974 and will continue In 1975, if necessary, FDA said, noting that both toxicological studies and analytical methodology work has begun on the substances. ^#ror- FDA said It had also detected hexachlorobutadlene, a toxic by-product In the manufacture of perchloroethylene. In some fish In 1973, and a limited field survey was begun to determine the level of contamination of hexachlorobutadlene in fish and other foods grown near industrial plants producing the toxic substance. FDA said It will continue participating In the establishment of policy statements Issued by the Environmental Protection Agency for use of sludge and effluents on food, forage and feed crops. The report to the Committee Indicated that FDA will be establishing guideline levels for cadmium In foods, but first the agency must determine the Interaction of zinc with cadmium through more thorough long-term tests. In another new area of work, FDA said development of analytical v^tll be started to detect phosphate esters In a variety of staple foods. pointing out that current Information indicates that these esters have replaced PCBs In some hydraulic fluid applications. Noting that pens have contaminated fish, FDA said the phosphate esters" "may have a similar effect. " Work continues on lead problems, FDA pointed out, noting that new studies will be undertaken to determine whether lead levels in Infants' blood during the first year of life are primarily a reflection of the maternal blood level or are more a re flection of environmental lead exposure, which Includes lead Ingested from food. FDA Is also Investigating diets of young children from high risk socio-economic and cultural groups to determine whether there Is a relationship between levels of lead In diets of children and levels of lead In blood, the background support material pointed out, adding that attention has been directed to Items that older Infants eat, such as canned Juices and vegetables. s Noting that there have been Indications of a lead problem In some of these products, FDA predicted that guidelines will be proposed where appropriate. Industry Is also Improving, technology to decrease the lead content In both Infant and adult canned foods, the agency added. A FDA said It`is sponsoring Jointly with the National Science Foundation studies In / Iraq on the effects of pre- and post-natal exposure to mercury, pointing out that Iraqi poisonings, resulting from misuse of mercury-treated wheat, support the toxicological basis for FDA's guideline of 0.5 p.p.m. of mercury IJ n fish. iteractlon of Mercury, DDT and PCBs to be Studied bv FDA However, FDA emphasized that there are still doubts about the effects of chronic exposure to low levels of methyl mercury. Including effects that cannot be mea sured, such as neuronal loss. HONS 201576 Page 6 June 17, 1974 FOOD CHEMICAL NEWS i During 1974, the materials said, FDA will also begin an epidemiological study j of the Interaction of DDT, mercury and PCBs to determine what happens to the n overall toxicity of these compounds when found together in fish, a Work is also continuing on PCBs alone, FDA said, noting that In order to assess I the hazards of PCBs In fish, the agency Is determining the amount of PCBs Ingested I from fish by a selected exposed population and the possible correlation between the f level In the subjects' blood and the amount of fish ingested. Another study is I being sponsored to determine the consumption of cadmium, selenium and zinc \ln humans from shellfish. *k FDA Is also continuing work on the hazards of PCBs In animal tests, using rats, \)) sheep and swine. In the area of new methodology, FDA said a method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of lead, cadmium and zinc In some foods with a range of sensitivity from 0.02 to 0.5 p.p.m. Promising results were also obtained from another multi-element method for deter 1 mining arsenic, mercury*and selenium, with a sensitivity of 0.005 p.p.m. for mercury and 0.05 p.p.m. for arsenic and selenium, the agency reported. *' f FDA said It has awarded a contract to Iowa State University to develop a method l which can simultaneously measure micro amounts of about 15 metals In food. The agency noted that It Is continuing the monitoring of pesticides both In the Total Diet Program and In others covering both domestic and Imported foods. The agency noted declines of BHC levels In European cheeses as a result of monitoring effects, and said new programs have been established to deal with endrln and endosulfan residues In strawberries and Monltor-4 residues In peppers coming to the U. S. from Mexico. New Elements Are Added to Total Diet Program In the TotalDlat Program, FDA said it will measure levels of antimony, chromium, tin, copper, beryllium, germanium and thallium to-determine whether they may be exoeap&ve. in an update on the review of "generally recognized as safe" substances, FDA Ssaid the evaluation will have covered substantially all of the non-flavor sub stances on the published GRAS list by the end of 1975. CORRECTION: FOOD CHEMICAL NEWS in the June 20 Issue on Page 2 0 er roneously reported that the first contract with the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association for "scientific literature reviews" of 276 flavors amounted to $500,000. The figure should have been $250,000. In other materials submitted to Whitten, FDA confirmed that It had abandoned the idea of using consumers In the reviews conducted by the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, noting that It was determined that a public HONS 201577