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1 Chemicals in the Food and Beverage Industry: An Introduction
amines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, wood or leather dust, and ionizing radiations. Because their potential to cause cancer or increase its frequency is proven,
these substances are part of ‘carcinogenic, mutagenic, reprotoxic’ (CMR) agents
(Havet et al. 2017). The removal or substitution of these products is required, whenever it is technically possible. Among the main types of cancer which a link has been
established for with substances in the occupational environment, we can mention:
(1) Lung cancer (asbestos and other cancerogen products)
(2) Mesothelioma (the main cause: asbestos)
(3) Cancer of the nasal cavity (wood dust, nickel, chromium, and arsenic)
(4) Bladder cancer (aromatic amines, coal tars, and arsenic)
(5) Leukemias (benzene, ionizing radiations, and certain pesticides).
Dangerous chemical agents (DCA) are compounds with recognized hazardous
characteristics (Health and Safety Authority 2020). Some of them may be explosive,
flammable, toxic, and/or corrosive. They may also be chemical agents posing a risk
to the health and safety of workers because of their physicochemical, chemical, or
toxicological properties. These hazardous chemicals include CMR: Consequently,
they can cause cancer, induce mutagenic effects on the body of the exposed person
or on the fetus of a pregnant woman, or cause fertility or sterility problems (KasbiBenassouli et al. 2005).
In view of the dangers they present, these classified substances and mixtures are
subjected to restrictive regulations, in particular on the work field, and their use in food
and beverage environments is not a pure exception. It is essential to identify them,
that is to say, to make an inventory of products used and working situations that can
give rise to such exposures, as shown in Fig. 1.1. The use of similar substances when
speaking of edible products for human and animal nutrition has to be considered
carefully. At first sight, the impression of food consumers would be that edible
product has not prepared, processed, stored, manipulated, or transported with the
concomitant presence of hazardous components such as explosive substances. The
truth is completely different.
Thus, detailed information on relevant processes, operations, and other activities
is needed with the aim of identifying agents used, including raw materials, materials
handled or added during manufacturing, primary products, intermediate products,
finished, reactional, and by-products. It may also be interesting to identify additives
and catalysts involved in a process. Raw materials and filler materials that are solely
known by their trade name should be evaluated based on their chemical composition
and the safety or information sheets normally available from the manufacturer or
supplier.
As a result, the term use of chemicals at work applies to any occupation that could
expose a worker to a chemical, including
(1) Production
(2) Handling
(3) Storage
(4) Transport
1 Chemicals in the Food and Beverage Industry: An Introduction
amines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, wood or leather dust, and ionizing radiations. Because their potential to cause cancer or increase its frequency is proven,
these substances are part of ‘carcinogenic, mutagenic, reprotoxic’ (CMR) agents
(Havet et al. 2017). The removal or substitution of these products is required, whenever it is technically possible. Among the main types of cancer which a link has been
established for with substances in the occupational environment, we can mention:
(1) Lung cancer (asbestos and other cancerogen products)
(2) Mesothelioma (the main cause: asbestos)
(3) Cancer of the nasal cavity (wood dust, nickel, chromium, and arsenic)
(4) Bladder cancer (aromatic amines, coal tars, and arsenic)
(5) Leukemias (benzene, ionizing radiations, and certain pesticides).
Dangerous chemical agents (DCA) are compounds with recognized hazardous
characteristics (Health and Safety Authority 2020). Some of them may be explosive,
flammable, toxic, and/or corrosive. They may also be chemical agents posing a risk
to the health and safety of workers because of their physicochemical, chemical, or
toxicological properties. These hazardous chemicals include CMR: Consequently,
they can cause cancer, induce mutagenic effects on the body of the exposed person
or on the fetus of a pregnant woman, or cause fertility or sterility problems (KasbiBenassouli et al. 2005).
In view of the dangers they present, these classified substances and mixtures are
subjected to restrictive regulations, in particular on the work field, and their use in food
and beverage environments is not a pure exception. It is essential to identify them,
that is to say, to make an inventory of products used and working situations that can
give rise to such exposures, as shown in Fig. 1.1. The use of similar substances when
speaking of edible products for human and animal nutrition has to be considered
carefully. At first sight, the impression of food consumers would be that edible
product has not prepared, processed, stored, manipulated, or transported with the
concomitant presence of hazardous components such as explosive substances. The
truth is completely different.
Thus, detailed information on relevant processes, operations, and other activities
is needed with the aim of identifying agents used, including raw materials, materials
handled or added during manufacturing, primary products, intermediate products,
finished, reactional, and by-products. It may also be interesting to identify additives
and catalysts involved in a process. Raw materials and filler materials that are solely
known by their trade name should be evaluated based on their chemical composition
and the safety or information sheets normally available from the manufacturer or
supplier.
As a result, the term use of chemicals at work applies to any occupation that could
expose a worker to a chemical, including
(1) Production
(2) Handling
(3) Storage
(4) Transport