Sato S
Toyama Institute of Health, Japan.
Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 1990 Apr;11(2):149-57. doi: 10.1016/0273-2300(90)90018-7.
Use of hazardous environmental substances in Japan is regulated, based on their risk assessment, by laws of various ministries, depending upon the chemicals concerned. Food additives and food contaminants are controlled by the Food Sanitation Law of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. When manufacture or import of new food additives is intended, their physicochemical and biological data are evaluated by the Food Sanitation Investigation Council. When new data become available on the carcinogenicity of food additives that have been approved and are in use, these compounds are reevaluated. Between 1974 and 1986, twelve chemicals were proved to be carcinogenic in Japan by task groups for evaluation of the carcinogenicity of food additives, medical drugs and pesticides, which were organized by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Of these compounds, 2-(2-furyl)-3-(5-nitro-2-furyl)acrylamide was banned from use, but use of hydrogen peroxide and potassium bromate was permitted, provided that these compounds were decomposed or removed from the final products. The use of butylated hydroxyanisole within fixed limits in some foodstuffs was also permitted. Decisions on the use of these compounds were based on the prevailing opinion on carcinogens at the time. This paper reports these facts with a consideration of future problems on the regulation of food carcinogens.
在日本，根据风险评估结果，各相关部委依据不同化学品的情况，通过各类法律对有害环境物质的使用进行监管。食品添加剂和食品污染物受厚生省《食品卫生法》管控。当打算生产或进口新的食品添加剂时，其物理化学和生物学数据由食品卫生调查委员会进行评估。当已获批准并正在使用的食品添加剂出现新的致癌性数据时，会对这些化合物重新进行评估。1974年至1986年间，厚生省组织的食品添加剂、药品和农药致癌性评估任务组证实，有12种化学品在日本具有致癌性。其中，2-(2-呋喃基)-3-(5-硝基-2-呋喃基)丙烯酰胺被禁止使用，但过氧化氢和溴酸钾只要在最终产品中分解或去除，其使用则被允许。在某些食品中，丁基羟基茴香醚在规定限量内的使用也被允许。这些化合物使用的决定是基于当时对致癌物的普遍看法。本文报告了这些情况，并对食品致癌物监管方面未来的问题进行了思考。
