A new government report finds that human exposure to acrylamide does not lead to adverse reproductive and developmental effects in the general population.
While the report is a bit of good news for those who enjoy foods such as French fries and potato chips that contain high levels of acrylamide, larger health safety issues—the chemical's carcinogenicity and neurotoxicity—remain unresolved.
Acrylamide has been produced since the 1950s and is used in a variety of chemical applications, including the production of plastics and dyes. It has been classified as a probable human carcinogen by the World Health Organization.
The chemical came to international prominence in 2002 when Swedish researchers discovered higher than expected levels of the chemical in certain cooked foods. That finding prompted some public health advocates to call for cancer warning labels on some fast-food products. Others argued there was no cancer risk to humans because to reach . . . [Full Text of this Article]
