CAC/RCP 56-2004 Code of Practice for the Prevention and Reduction of Lead Contamination in Foods
INTRODUCTION
1. Lead is a toxic heavy metal with widespread industrial uses, but no known nutritional benefits. The toxic effects of lead in food have been reviewed several times by the FAO/WHO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). Chronic exposure to lead at relatively low levels can result in damage to the kidneys and liver, and to the reproductive, cardiovascular, immune, hematopoietic, nervous, and gastrointestinal systems. Short-term exposure to high amounts of lead can cause gastrointestinal distress, anemia, encephalopathy, and death. The most critical effect of low-level lead exposure is reduced cognitive and intellectual development in children.
2. Lead exposure can occur through food and water, as well as in the workplace, through hobbies, and through exposure to lead-contaminated soil and air.
3. Lead contamination of food arises from numerous sources, including air and soil. Atmospheric lead from industrial pollution or leaded gasoline can contaminate food through deposition on agricultural crop plants. Soil lead arising from lead-containing ordnance stored on former munitions sites and from ammunition used in rifle or military firing, atmospheric deposition, or inappropriate application of pesticides, fertilizers, or sewage sludge can contaminate agricultural crop plants through uptake or through deposition of the soil on plant surfaces. Contaminated plants and soil are, in turn, a source of contamination of livestock.
