The consumption of alcoholic beverages has been classified as carcinogenic to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) since 1988. More recently, in 2010, ethanol as the major constituent of alcoholic beverages and its metabolite acetaldehyde were also classified as carcinogenic to humans. Alcoholic beverages as multi-component mixtures may additionally contain further known or suspected human carcinogens as constituent or contaminant. This review will discuss the occurrence and toxicology of eighteen carcinogenic compounds (acetaldehyde, acrylamide, aflatoxins, arsenic, benzene, cadmium, ethanol, ethyl carbamate, formaldehyde, furan, glyphosate, lead, 3-MCPD, 4-methylimidazole, N-nitrosodimethylamine, pulegone, ochratoxin A, safrole) occurring in alcoholic beverages as identified based on monograph reviews by the IARC. For most of the compounds of alcoholic beverages, quantitative risk assessment provided evidence for only a very low risk (such as margins of exposure above 10,000). The highest risk was found for ethanol, which may reach exposures in ranges known to increase the cancer risk even at moderate drinking (margin of exposure around 1). Other constituents that could pose a risk to the drinker were inorganic lead, arsenic, acetaldehyde, cadmium and ethyl carbamate, for most of which mitigation by good manufacturing practices is possible. Nevertheless, due to the major effect of ethanol, the cancer burden due to alcohol consumption can only be reduced by reducing alcohol consumption in general or by lowering the alcoholic strength of beverages.

Carcinogenic compounds in alcoholic beverages: an update.

Data for the arsenic content in various foods were collated. The number of collected values was about 2500 columns, which enables an estimation of the range of arsenic contents in each food group. Data were categorized into six groups (crops, milk/meat/egg, fish, algae, seafood, others) and expressed as a percentile graph. In addition, the inorganic arsenic ratio of each food group was estimated. This approach enabled the authors to understand the arsenic contents of some food groups at a glance. The intake of inorganic arsenic seems to be mostly from seafood. The contribution from other categories of food is small.

Arsenic in various foods: cumulative data.

Chromium in basic foods of the Spanish diet: seafood, cereals, vegetables, olive oils and dairy products

Forty-five wine samples from the south of Spain of different alcoholic strength were analysed for total arsenic and its inorganic [As(III), As(V)] and organic (monomethylarsonic acid [MMAA], dimethylarsinic acid [DMAA]) species. The As levels of the wine samples ranged from 2.1 to 14.6 µg l-1. The possible effect of the alcoholic fermentation process on the levels of the total arsenic and arsenical species was studied. The average total arsenic levels for the different samples were very similar, without significant differences between all types of wines. In table wines and sherry, the percentages of total inorganic arsenic were 18.6 and 15.6%, with DMAA or MMAA being the predominant species, respectively. In most samples, DMAA was the most abundant species, but the total inorganic aresenic fraction was considerable, representing 25.4% of the total concentration of the element. The estimated daily intakes of total arsenic and total inorganic arsenic for average Spanish consumers were 0.78 and 0.15 µg/perso...

Determination of total arsenic, inorganic and organic arsenic species in wine.

Because of their high toxicity, arsenic, lead and cadmium need to be quantified in food and beverages. For the first time, in this study the content of arsenic, lead and cadmium was investigated in 152 wine samples from the Canary Islands, Spain, belonging to eight Denominations of Origin (DO) and four islands by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The ranges of concentration found were 0.58-8.45 μg l-1 for arsenic, 0.20-1.73 μg l-1 for cadmium and 3.89-159.5 μg l-1 for lead, and the mean content was 3.13, 0.63 and 28.74 μg l-1, respectively. None of the wines contained levels above the limits set by the International Office of Vine and Wine (OIV), and thus did not pose a health hazard. Significant differences in mean content of those elements between harvest, type of wine, islands and DO were observed.

Analysis of arsenic, lead and cadmium in wines from the Canary Islands, Spain, by ICP/MS

All of the essential technological means of treating grapes, must and wine were examined systematically. The main reasons for the differences in the arsenic (As) content of rose and red wines are explained. In this study a relationship has been found between the As level and the wine-making technique. Rose wines contain more As than red wines because they require a shorter period of contact with the skins. In order to prove this, the average values for the rose and red wine samples from the same winery were compared.

Arsenic content in some Spanish wines. Influence of the wine-making technique on arsenic content in musts and wines.

The analysis and speciation of arsenic in must and wine samples was carried out with an ion exchange column combined with hydride-generation atomic spectrometry. The changes in the chemical species of arsenic that occur during the wine fermentation process were examined.

T. A. Masoud

Papers

Arsenic content in some Spanish wines. Influence of the wine-making technique on arsenic content in musts and wines.

Effect of Alcoholic Fermentation on Arsenic Species Content

Elementos minerales en conservas de pescados y moluscos