Acrylamide, that surprised scientists when it was discovered in certain foods might not be as big a concern after all, an Augusta researcher said.
Dale Sickles, a neurotoxicologist and vice chairman of Cell Biology and Anatomy at Medical College of Georgia, serves on an external review panel for the Environmental Protection Agency. The 15-member EPA Science Advisory Board for the chemical acrylamide will meet in Washington, D.C., next week to review draft recommendations on what is a safe level of exposure to the toxin.
Dale Sickles, a neurotoxicologist and vice chairman of Cell Biology and Anatomy at Medical College of Georgia, serves on an external review panel for the Environmental Protection Agency. The 15-member EPA Science Advisory Board for the chemical acrylamide will meet in Washington, D.C., next week to review draft recommendations on what is a safe level of exposure to the toxin.
Acrylamide is a neurotoxin and carcinogen formed in food when carbohydrate-rich material that also contains the amino acid asparagine is exposed to high heat such as deep-fat frying or baking. The highest amounts are in potato chips, for instance, Dr. Sickles said.
The toxin has been shown to cause cancer in rats at a rate of 2 milligrams per kilogram per day. Most Americans, however, would get an average of 0.4 micrograms per kilogram per day and the highest exposure would probably be about 1 microgram, or 1 /2,000 of the amount found to cause cancer in rats.
"Everybody believes, I think, that we can tolerate a little bit more than what we originally presumed,"Dr. Sickles said.
