Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain on a Request from the Commission Related to Arsenic as Undesirable Substance in Animal Feed

Arsenic is a naturally occurring element, present in soil, ground water and plants. Regions with high geological occurrence of inorganic arsenic have been identified in particular in Asia and other non-European countries. In Europe, environmental arsenic levels are rather low, with the exception of distinct geological or industrial areas. Arsenic is a metalloid, displaying different valences (-3, 0, +3, +5) resulting in a broad variety of arsenic compounds with diverse chemical characteristics. Inorganic and organic forms of arsenic also differ significantly in their toxicity, the organic arsenic compounds exhibiting a very low toxic potential. Consequently, the potential adverse effects of arsenic to animal (and human) health are determined by the inorganic fraction in a given feed (or food) product, and data reporting only total arsenic in food materials are difficult to interpret in terms of the ability to induce adverse effects. Drinking water many contain significant amounts of inorganic arsenic and upper limits have been set in most countries. Seafood and fish have been identified as major source of arsenic in the human diet, and in animal feed materials that contain products derived from fish or other marine organisms. In seafood and fish, arsenic is present predominantly in the organic forms of arsenobetaine and arsenocholine, which are virtually non-toxic. Analytical data from the Member States on total arsenic in feed materials do not indicate arsenic levels of concern in materials others than fish-derived products, for which further data on chemical speciation are needed, to identify the actual levels of inorganic arsenic. As the carry-over of arsenic in its inorganic form into edible tissue of mammals and poultry is low, food derived from terrestrial animals contributes only insignificantly to human exposure.