New and improved methods for risk assessment of food and pharmaceutical products safety and for forensic analysis

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To measure the concentration of potentially harmful elements such as lead and arsenic in solid food and pharmaceutical products, government agencies first dissolve them, which involves multiple steps. This not only takes time and requires harsh chemicals but also increases the likelihood of contamination (false positive) or may result in the loss of some of the elements (false negative). In addition, this approach does not provide any information on the chemical form of each element, which determines toxicity. Most critically, it also does not provide any information on bio-accessibility, i.e. solubility in the gastrointestinal tract. Yet, a poison is only a safety concern if it enters the blood stream, where it may exert its toxic effect. The proposed research program will involve the development of simple analysis methods that quickly determine the level of each element present in a solid. If the level of an element poses a potential danger to human health, another relatively fast analysis method will then be used to measure the fraction that is bio-accessible. Finally, if the bio-accessible fraction contains different chemical forms of the elements, another method will be used to distinguish and quantify the toxic and less toxic forms to truly assess the risk. Rapid and cost-effective acquisition of information on both element forms and bio-accessible concentrations in foods and pharmaceutical products will enable toxicological studies to establish if a synergistic or antagonistic effect exists between different elements. This will empower Canadian authorities to regulate the levels of elements (and perhaps even specific element forms) in food and pharmaceutical products at safe levels, thereby reducing their immuno-toxicological effects. In a related project, the effect of washing or soaking food, which is known to remove some toxic arsenic from rice, will be tested on other grains to find out when it can make them safer for consumption. The effect of cooking, including the manner in which food is cooked (such as boiling, toasting, pressure cooking, etc.) on the bio-accessible fraction and the chemical forms present in staple food (rice, wheat, corn, bread, etc.) will be studied to establish if cooking has a beneficial effect. In a third related project, a quick analysis technique will be optimized for the discrimination of various forensic samples (head hair, automotive paint fragments left in hit-and-run cases, finger nails, etc.), thereby adding a new tool to the arsenal of police agencies to help them solve crimes. Law enforcement agencies, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, will be able to implement the methods developed easily and cost-effectively. At least 9 graduate and 25 undergraduate students will participate in different aspects of this research, which will be carried out using modern instruments and protocols in an attempt to guarantee the safety and security of Canadians.