Food additives as environmental micropollutants

Food is one of the main sources of human exposure to harmful pollutants. Around 90%–98% of average human exposure is recorded due to the intake of food containing various organic micropollutants. Organic chemicals such as PCBs, OCPs, and APHs, etc., are considered important for their applications in food processing and agricultural products. These compounds behave as micropollutants and cause several exposures to the environment (aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems) and humans. These compounds contain toxic congeners that are persistent in the environment. These compounds are massively used in the industrial sector for the manufacturing of several products. Both natural and human activities are responsible to introduce micropollutants into the environment. This chapter represents a brief about micropollutants as food additives and their detrimental effects on the environment and human health. A wide examination of literature data about the micropollutants in food and their effects show that intensive use of pesticides and industrial processing are the main sources to introduce micropollutants into the environment.