Health risk assessment of exposure to ractopamine through consumption of meat products

Background: This study aims to investigate health risk from ractopamine residues in food that is used as feed additive. Nowadays ractopamine is banned in 80 countries including European Union but at the same time 22 countries use it in swine breeding. Health risk assessment of veterinary drugs residues in food in particular within the World Trade Organization, the Eurasian Economic Community and the Eurasian Economic Community customs union is one of the priority areas in field of consumer health safety.

Findings: It was determined that using ractopamine MRL in animal food, recommended by CAC, carcinogenic risk level was 1.32 × 10-6 (acceptable risk). As a result of cardiovascular system disorders modeling, values of normalized risk have been obtained. Risk levels were unacceptable and could lead to life expectancy decrease due to additional cases of cardiovascular diseases (hypertensive diseases, ischemic heart diseases).

Conclusion: Consumption of food containing ractopamine on MRLs recommended by Codex Alimentarius Commission and even on ractopamine detection limit in meat products is prohibited because of ractopamine induced unacceptable health risk levels (cardiovascular functional disorders and cardiovascular diseases).