Benzopyrene is a chemical compound that belongs to the first hazard class. Benzaperene belongs to the family of polycyclic hydrocarbons. This compound is formed during the combustion of any organic fuel (wood, straw, peat, coal, oil products and gas). Least quantity benzopyrene is formed during the combustion of gas.
Bezaperene tends to accumulate. Its accumulation is predominantly in soil, less in water. From the soil it again enters plant tissue and further spreads along trophic chains.
Bezapyrene has luminescence in the visible part of the spectrum, which allows it to be detected in concentrations up to 0.01 ppb by luminescent methods.
Benzopyrene is present in gaseous industrial wastes, car exhausts, tobacco smoke, food combustion products, etc. Up to 40% of benzene emissions come from ferrous metallurgy, 26% from domestic heating, 16% from chemical industry. The highest concentrations of B., exceeding the MPC by 10-15 times, were observed in cities with aluminum production plants (Bratsk, Krasnoyarsk, Novokuznetsk, etc.). The MPC for B. is exceeded by 6–10 times in cities with ferrous metallurgy enterprises (Nizhny Tagil, Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk) and by 3–5 times in cities with large petrochemical and oil refining enterprises (Ufa, Perm, Samara).
Benz(a)pyrene is also found in places where spontaneously occurring forest fires, it also appears in the atmosphere as a result of volcanic eruptions. However, it should be understood that the combustion process itself (i.e., carbon oxidation) is not necessary for the formation of benzo(a)pyrene. It is formed as a result of polymerization processes of relatively simple-structured fragments of molecules (mainly of a free radical nature), which are formed from the original fuel due to the action high temperatures, at unfavorable conditions combustion. One of the most common sources of benzo(a)pyrene formation is also pyrolysis.
Biological action benzopyrene
It is the most typical environmental carcinogen.
MPC - 0.020 mg/kg.
Extremely dangerous even at ultra-low concentrations, because tends to accumulate.
Being a chemically stable compound, it can long time move from one to another object (organism).
Benzopyrene has a mutagenic effect.
An international group of experts has classified benzo(a)pyrene as one of the agents for which there are available limited evidence their carcinogenic effect on humans and reliable evidence of their carcinogenic effect on animals. IN experimental studies benzo(a)pyrene has been tested in nine animal species, including monkeys. Benz(a)pyrene can enter the body through the skin, respiratory organs, digestive tract and transplacentally. With all these methods of exposure, it was possible to cause malignant tumors (cancer) in animals.
Benz(a)pyrene is a polycyclic hydrocarbon of the first hazard class. Released into the environment by combustion various types fuel when burning wood and coal. IN environment found in the soil layer and in water, capable of migration into plant tissue, and then enters animal organisms.
Benzopyrene enters the human body with meat products. Benzopyrene is capable of bioaccumulation, that is, accumulation in plant tissues, human and animal bodies. In every new link trophic chain, contains more benzopyrene than the previous one. Benzopyrene has a strong carcinogenic and mutagenic effect. When benzopyrene enters the body, it passes through the gastrointestinal tract and then enters the liver. In liver cells, benzopyrene is converted to dihydroxyepoxide - dangerous carcinogen. Thus, this most dangerous carcinogen interacts with components of the cell genome, causing irreversible changes, cancer and genetic problems in future generations. The molecules of this substance interact with human DNA, causing gene mutations. In the future, if the gene programs are activated, a malignant cancer tumor may form in the body's cells.
Benz(a)pyrene is a polycyclic hydrocarbon of the first hazard class. It is released into the environment by the combustion of various types of fuel, during the combustion of wood and coal. In the environment, it is found in the soil layer and in water, is capable of migration into plant tissue, and then enters animal organisms.
Benzopyrene enters the human body with meat products. Benzopyrene is capable of bioaccumulation, that is, accumulation in plant tissues, human and animal bodies. Each new link in the trophic chain contains more benzopyrene than the previous one. Benzopyrene has a strong carcinogenic and mutagenic effect. When benzopyrene enters the body, it passes through the gastrointestinal tract and then enters the liver. In liver cells, benzopyrene is converted into dihydroxyepoxide, a dangerous carcinogen. Thus, this most dangerous carcinogen interacts with components of the cell genome, causing irreversible changes, cancer and genetic problems in future generations. The molecules of this substance interact with human DNA, causing gene mutations. In the future, if the gene programs are activated, a malignant cancer tumor may form in the body's cells.
One of the sources of benzopyrene emissions is road transport. Benzopyrene is absorbed by dust and soot and transported over short distances, polluting roadside areas. Falling together with precipitation, it pollutes the upper layers of soil and water bodies. In the ground layer of air near highways, the content of this substance is higher, so a child in a stroller inhales air more contaminated with benzopyrene than adults. In this regard, it is very important when walking with children to avoid busy streets, choose kindergarten and a school, located away from busy roads. Benzopyrene is an extremely dangerous carcinogen for smokers: on average, cigarette smoke contains 0.025-0.05 mcg of benzopyrene, this content exceeds the maximum permissible concentration by 10,000 - 15,000 times. According to calculations, when smoking just one cigarette, a person’s consumption of benzopyrene is equivalent to sixteen hours of inhaling car exhaust fumes; think about how the effect accumulates if several factors are added up. And maybe this will be the last factor that will force you to quit this bad habit.
IN food products benzopyrene can be contained in cereals, oils and fats, smoked products (including sprats). Meat and fish products, canned food also contain benzopyrene. There is even a minimum content of this substance allowed: when using flavoring substances to create a smoking effect, no more than 2 μg/kg(l), and in the finished product it should not exceed 0.03 μg/kg(l).
The SanEco company has all the necessary resources to conduct research on the content of benzopyrene in the test sample. One of the methods for determining benzopyrene is the method liquid chromatography. We have our own laboratory with the latest equipment, a staff of qualified employees and many years of experience in this field.
First of all, it’s worth understanding what benzopyrene is and why it’s scary, strictly speaking. From school course In chemistry, some of us may remember compounds such as aromatic hydrocarbons - organic substances in which carbon molecules are connected in a ring. Such connections are distinguished by the number of rings connected to each other (almost like in the Olympic sign). Substances that consist of several rings are called polycyclic aromatic carbohydrates, and benzopyrene is one of them.
When they talk about the presence of benzopyrene in food - in fact we're talking about about the presence of polycyclic aromatic carbohydrates in them in general. There are simply thousands of such connections. They are similar in their structure and effects on the body, and since identifying each of the polycyclic aromatic carbohydrates would be difficult and expensive, the chemists agreed that benzopyrene would be used as a reference substance. There is one - with a certain degree of probability there will be others. If this compound is absent, most likely there will be no polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the test sample at all.
Now about the main thing - about the danger. Benzopyrene, like compounds similar to it, belong to the so-called highest class danger. This is due to the fact that the breakdown products of this compound accumulate in the body and are integrated into DNA strands, thus introducing errors into genetic code person. Most of these errors lead to the death of cells, which are replaced by new ones. But sometimes cells under the influence of benzopyrene begin to divide uncontrollably, causing cancer. Scientists estimate that 75% of all cancerous tumors It is caused precisely by polycyclic aromatic carbohydrates - this is the main carcinogen in the world.
In addition, benzopyrene promotes the deposition of atherosclerotic plaques on the walls of blood vessels, and, consequently, increases the risk of developing dangerous diseases such as coronary heart disease, heart attack and strokes. Besides, most of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons has toxic effect to the liver.
However, there is also good news- concentrations of benzopyrene that we encounter in Everyday life, are quite small. Therefore, a short stay in the zone increased risk, or a single use of products even with strong increased level polycyclic aromatic carbohydrates are unlikely to seriously harm health. It is the accumulation of these substances in the body that is dangerous. Although, as you know, everything permanent stems from the temporary. That's why best time don't tempt fate.
Where are the roots from?
How does the deadly benzopyrene get into our body? The answer is simple. All polycyclic aromatic carbohydrates are formed by incomplete combustion organic matter. How and what will burn does not matter. In fact, the highest dose of benzopyrene is received by smokers who daily, of their own free will, inhale the products of incomplete combustion of tobacco, then by workers of metallurgical and oil refineries where oil is processed and burned. coal. (By the way, another reason to think about whether smoking is worth it is that a smoker absorbs approximately the same amount of benzopyrene as a coke processing plant worker, while paying his own money for the poison).
The next largest source of benzopyrene released into the environment is highways. Polycyclic aromatic carbohydrates are released both during the combustion of fuel and during the evaporation of asphalt in the heat (therefore, taking children out of the city in the hot months is very correct solution). For this reason, concentrations of benzopyrene on busy highways are 3-5 times higher than in rural areas.
Dangerous food
And finally, for non-smoking citizens, one of the main sources of benzopyrene entering the body is food, and not chocolate, which we love Lately are furiously frightening the sanitary services of a friendly neighboring country, and the most ordinary smoked meats, dishes cooked on open fire and any fried food.
For example, according to the “Opinion of the Scientific Committee on Food Products on the risks to human health polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in food,” published in December 2002, benzopyrene was found in concentrations of up to 300 μg/kg in some samples of smoked fish and duck. (This figure is comparable to the benzopyrene content in the tars formed when smoking tobacco). It should be noted that these figures are given for dishes prepared from clean, uncontaminated products.
The concentration of benzopyrene in the feedstock was 0.01-1 μg/kg. That is, during cooking, the concentration of the carcinogen increased thousands of times.
However, first things first. So, benzopyrene can be present in food both initially and formed during culinary processing.
dirty oyster
A classic example of high levels of benzopyrene in food products, widely reported in all newspapers, is oysters and lobsters caught in areas of the ocean where oil was spilled.
Since oil contains a lot of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, these substances first enter plant plankton, and then mollusks and crustaceans, and accumulate in their meat.
However, as already mentioned, scandals with benzopyrene found in seafood have been arising for a long time. Therefore, these products are controlled quite strictly. And quite often they “wrap” the contaminated product. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about the quality of seafood purchased in supermarkets or served in a restaurant.
But before you buy mussels, rapana and crabs on the Crimean beaches, you need to think very, very carefully. And, of course, you shouldn’t collect mussels on stilts next to the pier yourself -
mi - they are guaranteed to be contaminated with both benzopyrene and heavy metals and other “amenities”.
But all other animal products can be eaten without fear. Benzopyrene accumulates only in the tissues of mollusks and crustaceans. Benzopyrene does not accumulate in the meat of fish and farm animals, as well as eggs and milk. Excessive amounts of this substance are very sharply detected in animal products.
roadside grass
Another significant source of benzopyrene in the body is vegetables and fruits grown near major highways. Where the carcinogen comes from in them is clear. The only thing that can be added is that most of the benzopyrene is associated with microscopic particles of soot that settle on the surface of leaves and fruits. Therefore, if you decide to plant a cherry next to a busy road, then at least take the time to thoroughly wash its fruits. And in the case of apples and pears, peel the skin altogether. (You shouldn’t worry about the fact that the peel contains the most vitamins. A modern urban person who has no problems with the amount and variety of his diet gets enough vitamins. And the peel of vegetables and fruits contains much more harmful substances than useful ones).
One more nuance - the most benzopyrene is accumulated by plants with large leaves and leaves and fruits covered with a waxy coating, that is, the most popular vegetables: cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini. Thus, although it is possible to create a small bed with onions and parsley in the courtyard of a house located on a busy highway, then it is definitely not worth growing vegetables there.
And, of course, you should not collect any berries and medicinal herbs near the highway, however, this is clear.
Harmful fat
The main share of benzopyrene that we get from food is formed during cooking, all with the same incomplete combustion of organic substances, namely when exposed to temperatures above 200 ° C. And this is: frying, smoking (benzapyrene is formed during the combustion of fuel in a smokehouse) , cooking on a barbecue, drying dried fruits, cocoa beans, coffee beans and some types of tea in violation of technology and extracting vegetable oils using refining.
Let's look at each case separately.
Refined oils
Refining of vegetable oils, be it sunflower, corn or refined olive (pomance oil), is carried out by processing petroleum products that contain benzopyrene. Some amounts of this substance may remain in the final product. Refined oils are considered one of the main sources of carcinogens entering the body. IN European Union has been around for quite a long time mandatory check refined oils for benzopyrene content.
Several years ago, this indicator began to be monitored in our country. However, when choosing refined oil, it is better to choose deodorized and frozen brands - when using these purification technologies, almost all benzopyrene is removed from the product. In addition, it is advisable to use refined oil only for frying. For dressing salads, it is better to use virgin oil - it is healthier and there is no benzopyrene in it.
And, of course, we should not forget that greatest number We get benzopyrene, and at the same time trans fats that are harmful to blood vessels, not from vegetable oil as such, but margarine prepared on its basis and products containing this ersatz fat. Use of margarine, spreads, etc. better to avoid altogether.
Frying and grilling
Another significant source of benzopyrene entering the body is frying and grilling. In these dishes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are formed when fat is heated above 200°C. In a heavily fried piece of meat, the concentration of benzopyrene can reach up to 300 mcg/kg (and this is very, very high).
One piece of advice can be given - to prefer boiled or steamed dishes (the concentration of benzopyrene in them is rarely higher than 10 mcg/kg), or fry as quickly as possible and not too much. And, of course, you should not eat charred pieces of meat. In addition, preliminary marinating of meat and fish and the addition of caramelizing agents (cooking in honey or maple molasses) helps reduce the concentration of carcinogens - in this case, the frying time is significantly reduced, and hence the concentration of benzopyrene.
When grilling food, a carcinogen is also formed in hot fat. The situation is especially dangerous when fat drips onto hot coals. Therefore, it is better to cook lean meat and fish on the grill and, if possible, try to use a vertical grill (such as that of shawarma vendors).
Using a vertical grill allows you to reduce the concentration of carcinogens in finished project up to 30 times. (However, this is not yet a reason to eat street shawarma. In addition to benzopyrene, there are many other, no less harmful substances).
We won’t talk at all about the fact that you can’t use resinous pine wood for cooking kebabs, much less construction waste with paint and glue residues.
Smoking
Another critical process is smoking. However, the amount of benzopyrene produced during the formation of smoke is extremely heterogeneous. This indicator depends on the composition and moisture content of the wood, access to oxygen, the distance between the source of smoke and the product being smoked, and much more.
One thing can be said - modern smoking installations are designed in such a way as to minimize the accumulation of carcinogens in products. Therefore, smoked meat prepared industrially is definitely safer than smoked meat at home, although it is not always tastier.
And finally best results replaces smoking with “liquid smoke” treatment. In this case, there is no impact of high temperatures on the project at all and, accordingly, carcinogens do not accumulate. The only question is the taste and the fact that in addition to carcinogens there are many other harmful substances
Coffee, tea, cocoa
During roasting, coffee beans are exposed to high temperatures, and, therefore, benzopyrene can accumulate in them. A study conducted in Finland showed that ground coffee may contain 100-200 μg/kg of benzopyrene. The same is true for some varieties of black tea, which are dried in ovens heated by gasoline or diesel fuel. In some sheet samples, the benzopyrene content reached 1400 μg/kg.
However, you should not expect any special problems from coffee and tea - benzopyrene from leaves and coffee beans practically does not turn into infusion. Therefore, drinks made even from contaminated leaves do not contain a carcinogen.
It’s worse with cocoa (cocoa beans are also sometimes dried in gasoline-heated ovens) and dried fruits. In the case of dried fruits sold in markets, drying in gasoline ovens is the absolute norm, and there is no way to identify such dried fruits. In addition, unlike coffee, we absorb cocoa beans and dried fruits directly, and do not drink an infusion from them. So there is only one way out - rely on good name manufacturer, who can voluntarily test their products for benzopyrene.
How to get rid of benzopyrene when cooking?
- Prefer boiling and stewing to frying.
- It is especially not recommended to fry fatty meat.
- Do not eat pieces that are charred black.
- Use deodorized and seasoned oils for frying.
- When frying, change the oil as often as possible.
- Try to replace smoking with “liquid smoke”.
- When grilling barbecues and kebabs, make sure that fat does not drip into the fire.
- If possible, choose vertical grills (like those sold by shawarma sellers), when using them, fat does not fall on the hot surface.
The general public learned about benzopyrene after Onishchenko suspended the import of Ukrainian chocolate and Roshen candies to Russia in 2013. One of the reasons was precisely the fact that benzopyrene was found (or allegedly found) in the products. Unlike the general public, environmentalists, toxicologists, doctors and thoughtful adherents healthy image life knows beznapiren as one of the main urban ecotoxicants along with dioxins, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and other harmful substances. What kind of animal is this and why is it dangerous? Let's figure it out.
What is benzopyrene?
First, the main thing is terms. In chemistry, the name of this substance is written “benzo(a)pyrene”, but in the literature and the media the spellings “benzopyrene”, “benzopyrene” and “benzopyrene” are found. All this is the same substance, 3,4-benzpyrene.
Benzopyrene belongs to substances of the 1st hazard class and is a carcinogen, i.e. provokes the development of cancer. The average daily maximum concentration of benzopyrene in the air of populated areas is 0.001 μg/m3.
« Speaking in the language of chemistry, benzo(a)pyrene is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. They are common in the environment and are a combination of so-called benzene rings, interlocked with each other. These are carcinogens“,” Vladimir Ishchenko, head of the laboratory at the State Enterprise “Ukrmetrteststandart”, said in an interview with the Ukrainian BBC.
Where does benzopyrene come from?
In BES we read: “ Benzopyrene is found in coal tar, tobacco smoke, air big cities, soil.<…>Carcinogenic" In fact, of course, there is much larger number sources of benzopyrene: some experts believe that it is found almost everywhere, just in small dosages. We will present the main sources of this substance.
- The main source is almost all industries that include combustion processes (CHP, boiler houses, petrochemical and asphalt bitumen production, aluminum production, pyrolysis). By the same principle, burning landfills also become a source of benzopyrene.
- Car exhausts. Benzopyrene is formed during the combustion of fuel in an engine. internal combustion car. This is one of the most concentrated “flows” of this substance, and given the number of cars in major cities, also the largest in the city (provided there are no large-scale industries). It must be said that in cities it is automobile emissions that are the main source of air pollution, and not only benzopyrene.
- Tobacco smoke. The smoke from three cigarettes contains approximately 110 nanograms (10-9 grams) of benzopyrene.
- Roast. Fried meat is a source of benzopyrene in significant quantities. Anything that undergoes a roasting process can contain it, including coffee and cocoa beans, for example.
- Smoked meats. Benzopyrene will be present in any products (not only of animal origin, but also, for example, dried fruits) that are prepared by smoking rather than drying. For example, at the beginning of 2014, benzopyrene was discovered in the Latvian sprats of the SIA Randa Klavas enterprise, as a result of which Rosselkhoznadzor introduced an enhanced regime laboratory control in relation to the company.
- Fish and seafood may contain doses of benzopyrene if they were caught in areas of water contamination with oil products.
- Everything that grows along highways or in close proximity to them. Mushrooms, cereals and other plants through the soil are capable of receiving doses of benzopyrene, which enters the atmosphere with the exhaust gases of cars.
Why is benzopyrene dangerous?
We have already found out that it is carcinogenic. But there are many carcinogens in the world, so why should benzopyrene be used by environmentalists, scientists and regulators? public health pay more attention than other ecotoxicants?
Firstly, because benzopyrene can accumulate in the body, so even if you are exposed to very small doses, if it happens regularly, you can end up with a high concentration of this substance in your body.
Secondly, benzopyrene is fat-soluble, i.e. any fat can absorb this substance. Vladimir Ishchenko, in an interview with the Ukrainian BBC, said: “For example, if sunflower seeds are stored on asphalt and dried with diesel dryers, they accumulate these polyaromatic cyclic hydrocarbons, in particular benzo(a)pyrene. And then, during extraction, all the benzo(a)pyrene goes into the oil, since it is fat-soluble.” So any oil, any fat, fatty dairy products, fatty meat and dozens of other products can carry different concentrations of benzopyrene.
These two properties, coupled with its ubiquity (all of us, city residents, daily inhale air containing benzopyrene when passing by highways and walking on asphalt in summer), makes it one of the widespread ecotoxicants.
What to do?!
In addition to a total paradigm shift economic system, You mean? No, it’s true: the situation can be completely corrected only by abandoning the burning of fossil fuels in favor of alternative sources energy, ideally renewable energy, converting gasoline and diesel cars to electric or hydrogen engines or any other more environmentally friendly alternatives. It’s hard to say what to do with asphalt - this is a separate topic for environmentally friendly urban road surfaces.
What to do on a personal level? Spend more time in nature, install a fresh air ventilation system in your apartment, which forcibly sucks in air from the street, passes it through a filter and only then delivers it to your apartment. Minimize your time spent near major highways.
In the summer of 2010, when there were waves of abnormal heat in Russia, including Moscow, which caused large-scale fires, Moscow authorities recommended that people, if possible, not leave their homes while indoors, plug the cracks in the windows with wet rags, and wear respirators outside , masks or cover your mouth and nose with a damp handkerchief to protect yourself from smog. In that situation, the streets were literally full of benzopyrene - the hot asphalt melting in the sun, the same millions of cars and the smog from burning forests produced a unique “bouquet” of polluting gases that were not at all beneficial to human health.
So there's not much that can be done. In addition to the above, you can add - choose quality products food whose manufacturer you are most confident in; in the case of benzopyrene this primarily concerns oils and fats various kinds. Well, one more thing - keep a sense of humor, this secret weapon humanity, which will help defeat any infection when nothing else helps.