Food Safety

Many of the pollutants are primarily ingested through food, which is also our most important source of nutrients and other biologically active substances. We study useful and harmful substances in food at the same time and how these affect health. Chemical analyses of human milk, blood and urine to map the population's exposure to environmental pollutants are a key part of the department's work. 

Research

The department conducts research at a high international level. Our main objective is to contribute to a better and more comprehensive understanding of the links between exposure to environmental pollutants and consequences for health, as well as the importance of diet and nutrition and other factors in the environment. The department has employees with expertise in analytical chemistry, exposure research, toxicology, risk assessment, environmental epidemiology, nutrition, research ethics and user participation.  
 
Food production contributes substantially to climate change and environmental degradation, and changes towards a more sustainable diet are needed to achieve climate goals. At the same time, an unhealthy diet is one of the single most important factors that results in the loss of healthy years of life, both globally and in Norway. In addition, around 25 percent of the global disease burden comes from environment-related risk factors including climate change, pollution, and exposure to toxic chemicals. Climate change can also lead to altered levels of nutrients and pollutants in food. FHI has therefore established an interdisciplinary "Centre for Sustainable Diet", formally based in the Division for Climate and Environmental Health/Department of Food Safety. 

The department is home to the Human Environmental Biobank Norway (Miljøbiobanken), which has collected blood and urine samples from hundreds of people. These samples are used to monitor levels of nutrients, environmental pollutants and other undesirable substances in the body over time, as well as for understanding how these substances affect health. The Biobank can help identify new pollutants or investigate whether measures implemented to reduce exposure or pollution are effective. Additionally, collected samples from previous studies such as Euromix, HUMIS‐NoMIC, and the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) are also important data sources for the department's research.  

The department serves as both a data producer and data user, possessing high competence in advanced epidemiological and statistical methods. Our expertise includes methods for studying complex exposures such as chemical mixtures and their health outcomes. We develop exposure models to understand how much of these chemicals enter the body. These results are also used in risk assessments.  

Our collaborations are extensive, both within FHI and with international institutions within biomonitoring and epidemiology. Research activities are externally funded. The department is involved in a number of national and international cooperation projects, and is a partner in the following ongoing EU projects: ATHLETE, PARC, ONTOX, JAPreventNCD, EIRENE and MULTIR. We lead one (NON-PROTECTED) and are involved in four ongoing projects funded by the Research Council of Norway, as well as projects financed by the Norwegian Cancer Registry, Helse-Vest, the DAM foundation, IBM/UIO and EraPerMed.  

Infrastructure

Many of the research projects involve the development and use of rapid, sensitive and quality-assured analytical methods for the determination of various substances in human samples. The department possesses advanced analytical instruments such as GC-MS/MS, APGC-MS/MS, LC-MS/MS and UPLC-QToF. We generate analytical data for our own studies and other national and international biomonitoring studies. We measure various pollutants: persistent and non-persistent flame retardants and pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), phthalates, bisphenols, parabens and PAHs – up to 100 substances in total. 

Each year, we organise an international ring test to determine dioxins and other environmental contaminants in food, contributing to the high quality of these laboratory analyses worldwide. Annually, between 60 to 100 laboratories participate.

• International ring tests for persistent organic pollutants

Advisory work

Based on its own and others' research, the department provides expert advice to the health, food and environmental authorities. Several of the researchers in the department conduct risk assessments of environmental pollutants, heavy metals, natural toxins, flavouring substances, additives, "other substances", water treatment chemicals and novel food. The assessments are often carried out as part of the work for VKM and EFSA. We assist the Norwegian Food Safety Authority and the Norwegian Environment Agency in their work related to the EU chemicals legislation REACH. The department also gives advice related to nutrition, e.g. on behalf of the Ministry of Health and Care Services and the Norwegian Directorate of Health.

Preparedness

The researchers in the department use their expertise to assist in chemical preparedness when needed. The department has special expertise in exposure and toxic effects of pesticides, industrial chemicals, and contaminants in food, drinking water, indoor environment and plastics.