Human health hazards associated with the administration of antimicrobials to slaughter animals. Part I. An assessment of the risks of residues of tetracyclines in pork

This article describes the assessment of consumer risks of residues of tetracyclines in slaughter pigs in the Netherlands. The assessed risks were toxic and allergic reactions, and the disturbance of the consumers' intestinal flora. Toxic and allergic reactions in humans and animals have only been observed at therapeutic doses, affecting between an estimated 1 in 5,000 and one 1 in 140,000 individuals exposed. Residues of tetracyclines in pigs are closely associated with treatment with injectable formulations. Established Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) do not reflect actual consumer risks in case a limit is violated incidentally. For example, when the established MRLs for tetracyclines in meat are exceeded with a factor 400, 40,000, and 200,000, respectively, the actual risk of an adverse drug reaction for the consumer following a single consumption of this meat is maximally 1 in 3 million, 1 in 300,000, and 1 in 8,000, respectively. At the current estimated low levels of incidental exposure via pork, the annual risk of negative health effects for a random consumer is estimated at maximally 1 in 33 million. The annual risk that a temporary disturbance of the intestinal flora may also result in a facilitated infection with certain enteropathogens, such as Salmonella spp., is estimated at 1 in 45 million. It is concluded that the current microbiological risks of pork are greater than the risks of residues of tetracyclines as such, and that the control of the microbiological risks of pork should therefore be given first priority.