CC BY
5CHEMICAL HAZARDS TO WHICH A PERSON IS EXPOSED EVERY DAY
Atoyan G.A.1, Vardanyan Sh.V.2
1Atoyan Gayane Arutyunovna - Chemistry Teacher, HIGH SCHOOL N1 AFTER KH. ABOVYAN, RAZDAN, KOTAYK REGION;
2Vardanyan Shushanna Vannikovna - Master's Student, FACULTY OF CHEMISTRY, YEREVAN STATE UNIVERSITY, YEREVAN, REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
Abstract: every day we consume food containing various nutritional supplements of various origins and compositions. On the other hand, the poor state of the environment puts pressure on our health with heavy metal attacks and industrial waste. Chemical substances that are used for various purposes in agriculture also have a bad effect on human life. The purpose of this article is to explore all these issues in both positive and negative ways and to show how important it is to know about the content of these substances and to require the manufacturer to follow the normative of the maximum allowable amounts.
Keywords: food safety, food additives, pesticides, heavy metals, herbicides, healthy food.
Introduction
Every living organism is made up of different substances, among which a large number of chemical reactions take place, which ensure the vital activity of the living organism. It is clear that the organism needs a general flow of substances, which is provided by food. The most important foods are fats, carbohydrates, proteins, which are a source of energy, perform various biological functions. Hundreds of different substances are produced in the cells of the body every minute, and much faster and more regularly than in chemical plants. These substances are constantly involved in many reactions that take place in each cell.
Maintaining the balance of substances in all systems of the body is homeostasis, which violation causes various diseases[1]. The best way to stay healthy is to help the body maintain homeostasis. According to experts, the considerable factors affecting health are food and lifestyle. Many diseases can be prevented by taking them into account. And so, looking at food as the main source of energy and nutrients - proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, let us admit that it is sometimes pure and useful. Sometimes it can contain foreign substances called xenobiotics. Pesticides, heavy metals, nitrosamines, some food additives and other unwanted foreign compounds can be found in food in various ways. Thus, the development of agriculture requires the use of fertilizers, pesticides and other means, which not only provide a high yield, but also preserve a significant part of the crop due to the fight against insects and diseases. All such compounds, certainly useful for agriculture, can be found in food in different chains, adversely affecting human health. They can accumulate in the human body, which can disrupt cell metabolism, develop pathological changes in various organs and systems, beginning different diseases[2]. Let's talk about some of them.
Pesticides
Pesticides and herbicides are used in agriculture. They are a group of chemical and biological substances that are dangerous to the living organism. In fact there are no safe herbicides[3]. Pesticides are preparations for agricultural products, plant protection, and the destruction of animal parasites.
Types of Pesticides
These are grouped according to the types of pests which they kill:
1. Insecticides - insects
2. Herbicides - plants
3. Rodenticides - rodents (rats & mice)
4. Bactericides - bacteria
5. Fungicides - fungi
6. Larvicides - larvae.
Based on how biodegradable they are:
Pesticides can also be considered as:
• Biodegradable:
• The biodegradable kind is those which can be broken down by microbes and other living beings into harmless compounds.
• Persistent:
• While the persistent ones are those which may take months or years to break down.
Their use has undoubtedly played a significant role in increasing the yield of agricultural crops, but later very negative consequences of the use of pesticides appeared. It turned out that their negative impact is greater than the purpose of their use. Even small amounts of pesticides entering the body suppress the body's immune system, thereby increasing the body's susceptibility to infectious diseases. And large doses can even have a carcinogenic effect on the human body. Pesticides are absorbed from the soil through the root system of the plant, and also through the stems or stems of the aerial parts of the plant during solution treatment or pollination. Once in the blood, pesticides are unevenly absorbed into the body. They are readily soluble in lipids and fat, from there they penetrate into the nervous system in large quantities. However, it should be noted that pesticides with an unexpired shelf life and in the correct amount do not pose a significant risk. By avoiding pesticides, plant growth and normal development can be achieved by other means, such as the use of biological or herbal products, which are much more preferable based on their area of influence.
Fertilizers are used in the soil to replenish the supply of nutrients, that is, to nourish plants, improve soil properties, and yield. Their elements are mainly nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The most commonly used mineral fertilizers are nitrogen fertilizers such as ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate and urea. But the amount of fertilizer must be calculated very accurately, a larger amount of fertilizer not only does not contribute to the growth and development or increase in yield, but also accumulates in the plant, "poisons the plant", poses a danger to a person who then uses these same plants. Thus, plants do not assimilate excess nutrients, and when they are transferred from plant to person, many diseases can appear. There are plants that accumulate a large amount of nitrates, from which they synthesize nitro compounds with mutagenic and carcinogenic properties, which enter the human body, turn into toxic nitrates in the intestinal tract, which can subsequently produce nitrosamines. In addition, nitrates react with hemoglobin in the blood, converting divalent iron (II) to trivalent iron (III). This altered hemoglobin cannot travel with the bloodstream, and the tissues die from suffocation.
The maximum allowable dose of nitrates is 5 mg per 1 kg of body weight. But in some products it can be huge, up to 900 mg per kg of dry matter. The use of such a product can poison a person.
Undoubtedly, the discovery of nitrogen fertilizers at the beginning of the 20th century revolutionized agriculture, multiplying yields, improving the quality of agricultural products, but now the amount of nitrogen in our planet has almost doubled, endangering soil and human health. Considering all this, organic fertilizers such as manure, bird droppings, peat, etc. now are used increasingly. They are both useful for the soil and do not threaten human health.
Nutritional supplements
Nowadays, there is nothing new and surprising in food additives. Thousands of years ago, people were looking for ways to change the quality of food, its taste, give it a pleasant smell and preserve it for a long time. In ancient times, salt, vinegar and sugar were used for this purpose. But the turning point in this matter was the 19th century: in a very short time, almost 500 such materials became known. These substances are not used as food, but only added to it, thereby increasing the shelf life of food products, enhancing smell, taste, color, making them more attractive and adding other qualities to food. Each of these substances has its own chemical name and chemical formula, which are pronounced and spelled differently in different languages. The European Union has developed a coding or classification system for food additives that is targeted to different countries. Each additive has a unique number starting with the letter "E" followed by 3 more digits according to the class to which the additive belongs.
■ Dyes (E100-E-199)
■ Preservatives (E200-E299)
■ Antioxidants (E-300-E399)
■ Stabilizers or emulsifiers (E-400-E-499)
■ PH Knobs (E-500-E-599)
■ Flavor enhancers (E-600-E699)
■ Antibiotics (E-700-E799)
■ Sweeteners or foams (E-900-E999)
Each of them performs its function, imparting one or another nutritional property-aromatic substances give a pleasant smell, preservatives prevent food from spoiling quickly, colorants give a pleasant color, sweeteners give the desired sweetness, stabilizers prevent changes in physical and chemical properties, antioxidants prevent oxidation, and weaken oxidants. Food additives are inevitable. Without them, food will quickly turn sour or rot, the appearance will be unpleasant, etc. That is why food additives have become so popular in many food products lately. Consumers, looking at the E index in food labeling, are worried about whether they are harmful to health. As a rule, the effect of food additives on the body depends on both the individual on the human body and the dose of the additive. Everyone has different manifestations. There is an acceptable daily limit for food additives, excessive consumption of which is dangerous to human health. For some, this is 1 mg or one tenth of a gram per 1 kg of body weight. This amount may vary depending on the type of food processed. For example, food additive E 250 (sodium
nitrite) has a higher limit value in "smoked" sausage than in "boiled" sausage. It prevents the development of the toxic bacteria Clostridum-botulinum, which produces botulinum tokein.
Food additives are natural and artificial (synthetic). Artificial, in turn, are divided into two parts: artificial, which have analogues in nature, and artificial, which have no analogues in nature. Natural supplements are not only safe, but their presence in the posture can make them even more valuable. For example, the dye E 140 (chlorophyll) is so useful that it binds and removes heavy metals from the body, which, while remaining in the body, can cause many diseases, even cancer. Thus, its presence in food can make it more valuable. These are also E 100 (curcumin), E 270 (beet extract). There are some natural supplements that are neither beneficial nor harmful. For example, E 270 (lactic acid) is a substance familiar to the body and the body knows how to handle it properly because it appears in our body during intense exercise [4]. Indigo E 132 is a natural synthetic additive in nature, which can sometimes cause allergic reactions. But the danger of such additives is much lower than that of those that are synthesized artificially. For example, methylcellulose derivative E 461 used as an emulsifier can cause inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. In general, emulsifiers and preservatives contain more dangerous food additives, some of which pose a serious threat to human health, some of them are even carcinogenic and can cause asthma attacks and skin reactions. In some countries, sulfur dioxide E 220 is used to prolong the shelf life of wines, which can cause nausea, headaches and aggravated asthma and is especially dangerous for people with kidney failure [5].
There are food additives that are much more dangerous, such as E600-E699. Some flavor enhancers are prohibited in baby food. In the case of the correct, scientifically grounded use of food additives, subject to all applicable standards, storage conditions and terms of food products, they should be classified as the least dangerous substances in terms of their possible negative effects and their severity, but only under strict observance of all these conditions. In all cases, it is necessary to drastically reduce the consumption of foods containing dietary supplements, as well as carefully study the label of the food composition. After all, this is one of the steps to protect our health. Heavy metals
Some metals are essential for the normal functioning of the human body. They perform three main functions in the body: they are an integral part of bones, teeth, participate in the process of regulating the composition of body fluids, cells, are a cofactor of various enzymes and are part of the white matter. In the absence or lack of these metals in the body, special pathological signs appear [5]. Currently, due to environmental pollution, the amount of these metals in the human body often exceeds normal levels. The most unwanted and harmful of these are heavy metals. A number of heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic, etc. are toxic to humans and animals. Some metals (acrylic, cadmium, arsenic) are lethal to humans and other living organisms, even in small quantities. Mercury, lead, cadmium tend to accumulate and their effect on the body is manifested after a considerable period of time. Certain metals are carcinogenic, causing cancer of the liver, thyroid, bone, lung, skin, and bladder. For example, mercury damages the liver, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, central nervous system of a person, lead suppresses the production of various enzymes in the body, affects the synthesis of hemoglobin, nucleic acids, proteins, hormones. Cadmium accumulates mainly in the kidneys. Copper, zinc, vanadium, nickel and other heavy metals have a similar effect on the human body. The development of industry, energy, transport, agrochemistry has caused a global problem of environmental pollution with heavy metals-water, soil, atmosphere. Most heavy metals enter the human body through food, initially contaminating the environment from various sources [7]. These include the production of paper, plastics, seed treatment and fungicides, pesticides, fuel oil, diesel and the list is endless. Uncontrolled pollution of the environment with heavy metals endangers human health.
There are many dangers to human health: noise, genetically modified organisms, fast food, etc. And it seems that accurate calculations are needed for a healthy lifestyle, because a person during his life is constantly in a difficult relationship with the environment - influencing her, and at the same time, carrying his multifaceted influence.
References
1. Mnif Wissem et al. "Effect of endocrine disruptor pesticides: a review." International journal of environmental research and public health. 8.6 (2011): 2265-2303.
2. Kumar Neeraj et al. "Toxicity of food additives".. Food safety and human health. Academic Press, 2019. 67-98.
3. Mnif Wissem, et al. "Effect of endocrine disruptor pesticides: a review." International journal of environmental research and public health 8.6 (2011): 2265-2303.
4. Carocho Marcio, Morales Patricia and Ferreira Isabel CFR. "Sweeteners as food additives in the XXI century: A review of what is known, and what is to come." Food and Chemical Toxicology. 107 (2017): 302-317.
5. Carocho Marcio et al. "Adding molecules to food, pros and cons: A review on synthetic and natural food additives." Comprehensive reviews in food science and food safety. 13.4 (2014): 377-399.
6. Nagajyoti P.C$, K.Dtf Lee and Sreekanth T.V.M. "Heavy metals, occurrence and toxicity for plants: a review." Environmental chemistry letters 8.3 (2010): 199-216.
7. Gall Jillian E., Boyd Robert S. and Nishanta Rajakaruna. "Transfer of heavy metals through terrestrial food webs: a review". Environmental monitoring and assessment. 187.4 (2015): 1-21.
