The use of ethylene oxide is prohibited in food production as the substance can have mutagenic and carcinogenic effects.
What happens if you eat ethylene oxide?
Exposure can cause headaches, nausea, diarrhea, difficulty breathing and other problems. Long-term exposure can cause cancer in humans.
Is ethylene oxide safe for humans?
Unfortunately, EtO possesses several physical and health hazards that merit special attention. EtO is both flammable and highly reactive. Acute exposures to EtO gas may result in respiratory irritation and lung injury, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, shortness of breath, and cyanosis.
Why is ethylene oxide used in food?
What is ethylene oxide used for? Historically, ethylene oxide was used as a fumigant pesticide to treat foodstuffs sold in Australia. Because of its volatility, ethylene oxide residue in food post-treatment can fully dissipate with time.
Why is ethylene oxide banned?
However, the fumigation of foods and food storage areas with ethylene oxide has been discontinued in much of the world, including the EU which banned the use of ethylene oxide as a pesticide in 1991, due to its highly toxic nature.
What food products have ethylene oxide?
It is used in foods including ice cream, breakfast cereals, meat products, confectionery, fermented milk products and cheese.
Why is ethylene oxide in ice cream?
Ethylene oxide may be used to fumigate agricultural products to prevent microbial contamination. Traces of this pesticide found in fumigated products such as vanilla pods and locust gum, which are used in very small quantities, may carry into the finished ice-cream products.
What level of ethylene oxide is harmful to humans?
NIOSH: The recommended airborne exposure limit (REL) is less than 0.1 ppm and 5 ppm, not to be exceeded during any 10-minute period per day. ACGIH: The threshold limit value (TLV) is 1 ppm averaged over an 8-hour workshift.
Why is ethylene oxide used in noodles?
Brand Noodle Products. Ethylene oxide is used as treatment against the microbiological contamination of some spices and dried aromatic herbs like sesame seeds.
How long does ethylene oxide stay in your system?
How long does ethylene oxide stay in the body? After inhaling ethylene oxide it takes about 45 to 60 minutes for half of it to break down and be exhaled back out of the body (the “half-life”). That means that ethylene oxide will be completely eliminated from the body within 1-2 days to a week after being exposed.
Does the human body produce ethylene?
Yes, our bodies produce ethylene oxide when metabolizing ethylene. Ethylene is produced naturally in the body.
How long has ethylene oxide been used for sterilization?
Ethylene oxide (EtO) gas sterilizers have been used by hospitals for over 40 years to sterilize surgical equipment and supplies that are heat sensitive or that cannot tolerate excessive moisture.
How is ethylene oxide used in spices?
Ethylene Oxide (EtO)
EtO is used by the spice industry to reduce microbial contamination, such as E. coli and Salmonella. The EPA regulates the use of EtO in the US and maintains information about the technology on its website.
Is ethylene oxide banned in US?
Some states such as California and Michigan require an EO abator be installed to reduce EO emissions, but EO is not banned (a common misconception). The 3M™ EO Abator reduces EO emissions virtually eliminating any emissions to the environment. Is ethylene oxide sterilization safe for patients and staff?
What is ethylene oxide used in?
Some use it to make ethylene glycol, which industries use to make antifreeze and polyester. Here are examples of workers who may come into contact with ethylene oxide: Factory workers in plants that use it to make solvents, antifreeze, textiles, detergents, adhesives, or polyurethane foam.
What products are sterilized with ethylene oxide?
Medical devices made from certain polymers (plastic or resin), metals, or glass, or that have multiple layers of packaging or hard-to-reach places (for example, catheters) are likely to be sterilized with ethylene oxide.
How do you test for ethylene oxide in food?
Ethylene oxide is analysed by GC-MS or GC-MS/MS. The result is reported expressed as the sum of ethylene oxide and 2-chloroethanol, according to the residue definition. Depending on the method, a distinction between 2-chloroethanol and ethylene oxide is possible.
Where is ethylene banned?
Use of the chemical ethylene oxide in the food industry is banned in Europe because it is ‘carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic’. It can be found as a contaminant in baked goods, cereals, seeds, ice-creams and yoghurt.
Is ethylene oxide a pesticide?
Ethylene Oxide (EtO) is an EPA-registered antimicrobial pesticide used to sterilize medical equipment and spices. It is the only sterilization method available for many medical devices and approximately 50 percent of all sterile medical devices in the United States are treated with EtO annually.
What countries is Häagen Dazs sold in?
Although Häagen-Dazs products are available in the U.S., General Mills manages and operates the Häagen-Dazs business outside of North America. You will find our ice cream in over 90 countries and you can visit our shops in over 40, including France, China, Mexico, Thailand and the UAE.
What cancers does ethylene oxide cause?
Lymphoma and leukemia are the cancers most frequently reported to be associated with occupational exposure to ethylene oxide. Stomach and breast cancers may also be associated with ethylene oxide exposure.