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4.1
Journals
Toxics
Special Issues
Health Risk Evaluation of Hazardous Substances in Food
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Health Risk Evaluation of Hazardous Substances in Food

A special issue of Toxics (ISSN 2305-6304). This special issue belongs to the section "Agrochemicals and Food Toxicology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 February 2026 | Viewed by 4857

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Kai-Wei Liao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Food Safety, College of Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110301, Taiwan
Interests: heavy metals; endocrine disrupting chemicals; emerging contaminants; health risk assessment; environmental epidemiology; food safety
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Wei-Lun Hung

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Food Safety, College of Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110301, Taiwan
Interests: food toxicants; metabolomics; gut microbiota; analytical chemistry; food safety
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Hazardous substances in food refer to chemical compounds or contaminants that may pose health risks to humans. These substances can originate from environmental pollution, food processing, packaging materials, or naturally occurring toxins. The long-term consumption of these substances may increase the risks posed to human health; thus, risk assessments are essential in evaluating potential hazards and ensuring food safety.

This Special Issue focuses on the impact of hazardous substances in food on human health. Its scope includes, but is not limited to, heavy metals, pesticide residues, food additives, the harmful substances generated from food packaging and processing, and microbial toxins. We encourage studies that explore the potential health risks associated with human exposure to these hazardous substances. Whether based on small-scale community studies or large-scale national surveys, all relevant submissions are welcome.

Dr. Kai-Wei Liao
Dr. Wei-Lun Hung
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Toxics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • hazardous substances
  • food contaminants
  • heavy metals
  • pesticide residues
  • food additives
  • microbial toxins
  • food packaging contaminants
  • food processing byproducts
  • health risk assessment
  • dietary exposure assessment

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 1512 KB  
Article
Potential Toxicological Risk Associated with the Oral Use of Colloidal Silver Dietary Supplements
by Oana Catalina Bute, Anca-Irina Gheboianu, Bogdan Trica and Ana-Maria Hossu
Toxics 2025, 13(11), 992; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13110992 - 18 Nov 2025
Viewed by 904
Abstract
The increasing availability of colloidal silver dietary supplements raises important concerns regarding their safety when used for oral consumption. This study presents the physicochemical characterization of a commercial colloidal silver solution with a high concentration (1000 mg/L), stabilized with pectin in distilled water. [...] Read more.
The increasing availability of colloidal silver dietary supplements raises important concerns regarding their safety when used for oral consumption. This study presents the physicochemical characterization of a commercial colloidal silver solution with a high concentration (1000 mg/L), stabilized with pectin in distilled water. The characterization was performed using UV-VIS, XRD, and TEM. The manufacturer did not provide information regarding nanoparticle size or recommended duration of use. The 1000 mg/L sample was also compared with a standard colloidal silver solution provided by Sigma Aldrich to validate nanoparticle size, stability, and spectral profiles. In addition, a comparative theoretical analysis was conducted on other commercially available products containing colloidal silver at concentrations of 15, 30, 55, 80, and 125 mg/L, based solely on the recommended daily intake and the oral reference dose of 0.005 mg/kg/day established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Although no in vivo or in vitro toxicity tests were performed, the results indicate a potential toxicological risk due to estimated intake levels that may exceed safety thresholds, particularly in high-concentration products with insufficient labelling or unclear usage guidelines. These findings emphasize the need for stricter regulatory measures and greater public awareness regarding the internal use of colloidal silver supplements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Risk Evaluation of Hazardous Substances in Food)
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19 pages, 288 KB  
Article
Cumulative Exposure and Health Risk Assessment of PFAS in Animal-Derived Foods Using the Relative Potency Factor Approach
by Giulia Rampazzo, Francesco Arioli, Giampiero Pagliuca, Giacomo Depau, Elisa Zironi and Teresa Gazzotti
Toxics 2025, 13(11), 931; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13110931 - 30 Oct 2025
Viewed by 1040
Abstract
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are persistent and bioaccumulative contaminants frequently detected in animal-derived foods, raising concerns for consumer health. In 2020, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) established a group tolerable weekly intake (TWI) of 4.4 ng/kg bw per week for four [...] Read more.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are persistent and bioaccumulative contaminants frequently detected in animal-derived foods, raising concerns for consumer health. In 2020, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) established a group tolerable weekly intake (TWI) of 4.4 ng/kg bw per week for four PFAS (PFOA, PFNA, PFOS, PFHxS) based on immunotoxicity, prompting the European Commission to set maximum levels in food. However, many other PFAS are present in the diet, and their cumulative risk is poorly characterized. This study applied the Relative Potency Factor (RPF) approach, using hepatic toxicity as the reference endpoint. The RPF approach addresses a key challenge in assessing human dietary exposure to PFAS by enabling cumulative risk assessment for complex mixtures found in food, moving beyond single-compound evaluations. Occurrence data from EFSA’s 2020 opinion were combined with European consumption data for fish, meat, eggs, and milk across four population groups (toddlers, adolescents, adults, elderly). Exposure estimates, expressed in PFOA equivalents, were compared with the group TWI. Results showed toddlers as the most vulnerable, with cumulative exposure approaching or exceeding TWI through fish, meat, and eggs, while milk contributed less. PFOS and PFOA were the main contributors across all food categories, with PFNA and PFDA also relevant, especially in younger populations. The findings highlight the added value of the RPF approach for cumulative PFAS risk assessment and emphasize the need for updated monitoring, refinement of potency factors for under-studied PFAS, and continued regulatory measures to protect high-risk consumers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Risk Evaluation of Hazardous Substances in Food)
11 pages, 2195 KB  
Article
Multielement Composition Analysis of Cicada as an Edible Insect and Dietary Risk Assessment
by Guotao Ding, Mengyu Liu, Yanfei Fang, Peng Sun, Yonghong Han, Yingying Lian and Weihao Li
Toxics 2025, 13(11), 916; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13110916 - 24 Oct 2025
Viewed by 486
Abstract
Cicadas are a traditional food in China. In this study, we performed multielement analysis on cicadas using Inductively Coupled Plasma–Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). In total, 40 cicada samples were collected in Hebei Province (China). Comparing the results of mushroom and vegetable samples selected as [...] Read more.
Cicadas are a traditional food in China. In this study, we performed multielement analysis on cicadas using Inductively Coupled Plasma–Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). In total, 40 cicada samples were collected in Hebei Province (China). Comparing the results of mushroom and vegetable samples selected as the standard foods among the eight food categories, which had the highest correlation with other food categories, there are 12 elements (Al, Mn, Zn, Cu, Cd, Ba, Se, V, As, Li, Pb and Co) in cicadas both higher than mushroom and vegetable samples, which a total of 25 elements were detected. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA), cluster analysis, and correlation analysis were used in the data analysis. HQ (Hazard quotient) value for Cd, As, Pb, and Al is 0.281 in males and is 0.324 in females. Concentrations of essential trace elements (Zn, Cu, and Se) in cicadas ranged from 1.7 to 101.9 times higher than those in mushrooms or vegetables. We analyzed in detail the two perspectives: one is the risk of potentially toxic elements, and the other is the enrichment of essential trace elements. In this study, we reveal that cicadas show a low risk of potentially toxic elements and high concentrations of essential trace elements, making them an edible insect. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Risk Evaluation of Hazardous Substances in Food)
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12 pages, 1627 KB  
Article
Coffee By-Products Studied by the Planar Ames Bioassay with pH Indicator Endpoint Using the 2LabsToGo-Eco
by Maryam Monazzah, Cedric Herrmann, Gertrud E. Morlock, Jannika Fuchs and Dirk W. Lachenmeier
Toxics 2025, 13(9), 739; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13090739 - 31 Aug 2025
Viewed by 898
Abstract
The mutagenic potential of coffee by-products, including Coffea leaves, blossoms, cherries, and silverskin, was studied using thin-layer chromatography (TLC) coupled with the recent planar Ames bioassay via pH indicator endpoint. The 2LabsToGo-Eco allowed for the separation and detection of mutagens in complex samples. [...] Read more.
The mutagenic potential of coffee by-products, including Coffea leaves, blossoms, cherries, and silverskin, was studied using thin-layer chromatography (TLC) coupled with the recent planar Ames bioassay via pH indicator endpoint. The 2LabsToGo-Eco allowed for the separation and detection of mutagens in complex samples. Hot water was the most effective extraction solvent in terms of yield and closely simulated the typical human consumption of coffee by-products. Separation was performed on TLC plates with a mixture of ethyl acetate, n-propanol, and water, followed by bioassay detection. The positive control 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide exhibited clear mutagenic responses, confirming the proper bioassay performance. In the Ames bioautogram, none of the tested coffee by-products showed mutagenic zones, suggesting the absence of strongly acting, acute mutagens under the applied test conditions; however, given the only 5 h short incubation and the use of TA98 strain only, a longer incubation time and testing with additional Salmonella strains is recommended. The results provide new safety data for Coffea leaves and blossoms and are consistent with some previous studies demonstrating the safety of coffee by-products. However, further improvements in the sensitivity and selectivity of the planar Ames bioassay are demanded, and further in vivo and long-term safety studies are recommended. Considering natural variability, the different uses of pesticides and treatments, and the fluctuating supply chains, coffee by-products may differ highly. The planar bioassay technology using the affordable 2LabsToGo-Eco is a powerful toxicological screening option for the coffee industry, considering the increasing interest in utilizing coffee by-products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Risk Evaluation of Hazardous Substances in Food)
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13 pages, 1299 KB  
Article
Dietary Exposure to Food Contaminants of Pregnant Women in Northern Spain and Possible Effects on Fetal Anthropometric Parameters
by Daniel Hinojosa-Nogueira, José Ramón Bahamonde, Marta Aguilera-Nieto, Beatriz Navajas-Porras, Verónica González-Vigil, José Ángel Rufián-Henares and Silvia Pastoriza de la Cueva
Toxics 2025, 13(5), 399; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13050399 - 16 May 2025
Viewed by 962
Abstract
A considerable number of organizations are working to improve food safety, with particular attention to vulnerable groups such as pregnant women due to the important influence of diet on fetal development. The aim of this study was to evaluate exposure to 11 food [...] Read more.
A considerable number of organizations are working to improve food safety, with particular attention to vulnerable groups such as pregnant women due to the important influence of diet on fetal development. The aim of this study was to evaluate exposure to 11 food processing contaminants and their effects on maternal and fetal health. Online questionnaires during the first and third trimesters were used to analyze the intake and exposure to different food contaminants, estimated from the contaminants food database “CONT11”, in 84 pregnant women in Oviedo (Spain) and their influence on newborn anthropometric data. Exposure to certain contaminants, such as acrylamide or total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, was found to have a significant impact on maternal and fetal health, particularly in relation to birth weight or head circumference. During the third trimester, pregnant women reported dietary improvement and reduced exposure to dietary contaminants. Identifying the foods and food groups that contribute most to exposure and the potential for health professionals will facilitate the development of basic exposure reduction strategies. This study is one of the few to assess the exposure of pregnant women to a wide range of contaminants and their impact on fetal health, providing a baseline for future research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Risk Evaluation of Hazardous Substances in Food)
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