title: Environmental contaminants of emerging concern in seafood--European database on contaminant levels.
abstract: Marine pollution gives rise to concern not only about the environment itself but also about the impact on food safety and consequently on public health. European authorities and consumers have therefore become increasingly worried about the transfer of contaminants from the marine environment to seafood. So-called "contaminants of emerging concern" are chemical substances for which no maximum levels have been laid down in EU legislation, or substances for which maximum levels have been provided but which require revision. Adequate information on their presence in seafood is often lacking and thus potential risks cannot be excluded. Assessment of food safety issues related to these contaminants has thus become urgent and imperative. A database (www.ecsafeseafooddbase.eu), containing available information on the levels of contaminants of emerging concern in seafood and providing the most recent data to scientists and regulatory authorities, was developed. The present paper reviews a selection of contaminants of emerging concern in seafood including toxic elements, endocrine disruptors, brominated flame retardants, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and derivatives, microplastics and marine toxins. Current status on the knowledge of human exposure, toxicity and legislation are briefly presented and the outcome from scientific publications reporting on the levels of these compounds in seafood is presented and discussed.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Animal Sciences Unit - Fisheries, Ankerstraat 1, 8400 Oostende, Belgium. Electronic address: griet.vandermeersch@ilvo.vlaanderen.be.
authors.forename: Griet
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vandermeersch
authors.affiliation: Division of Aquaculture and Upgrading (DivAV), Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), Lisboa, Portugal.
authors.forename: Helena Maria
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Lourenço
authors.affiliation: Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Girona, Spain.
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Alvarez-Muñoz
authors.affiliation: LAQV-REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Bromatology and Hydrology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cunha
authors.affiliation: Institute of Research and Technology in Food and Agriculture (IRTA), Sant Carles de la Ràpita, Spain.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Diogène
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Toxicology and Environmental Health, School of Medicine, Rovirai Virgili University (URV), Reus, Spain.
authors.forename: German
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cano-Sancho
authors.affiliation: National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark (DTU Food), Søborg, Denmark.
authors.forename: Jens J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Sloth
authors.affiliation: Institute for Marine Resources and Ecosystem Studies (IMARES), Wageningen University and Research Center, Ijmuiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Christiaan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kwadijk
authors.affiliation: Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Girona, Spain; Water and Soil Quality Research Group, Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA-CSIC, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Damia
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Barcelo
authors.affiliation: Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Animal Sciences Unit - Fisheries, Ankerstraat 1, 8400 Oostende, Belgium.
authors.forename: Wim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Allegaert
authors.affiliation: Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Animal Sciences Unit - Fisheries, Ankerstraat 1, 8400 Oostende, Belgium.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bekaert
authors.affiliation: LAQV-REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Bromatology and Hydrology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: José Oliveira
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.affiliation: Division of Aquaculture and Upgrading (DivAV), Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), Lisboa, Portugal.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marques
authors.affiliation: Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Animal Sciences Unit - Fisheries, Ankerstraat 1, 8400 Oostende, Belgium.
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Robbens
mesh_terms: D016208:Databases, Factual; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005060:Europe; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D017747:Seafood / Q000032:analysis* / Q000592:standards*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D052244:Endocrine Disruptors; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Emerging food contaminants; Environmental contaminants; European database; Food safety; Seafood