U. Honkalampi-Hämäläinen, E.L. Bradley, L. Castle, I. Severin, L. Dahbi, O. Dahlman, J.-C. Lhuguenot, M.A. Andersson, P. Hakulinen, D. Hoornstra, J. Mäki-Paakkanen, M. Salkinoja-Salonen, L. Turco, A. Stammati, F. Zucco, A. Weber, A. von Wright, Department of Biosciences, University of Kuopio, Food Safety & Quality, Central Science Laboratory, DEFRA Central Science Laboratory (CSL), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), Laboratoire Toxicologie Alimentaire, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Biologie Appliquée à la Nutrition et à l'Alimentation de Dijon (ENSBANA), STFI-Packforsk AB, Department of Applied Chemistry and Microbiology, The National Institute for Health and Welfare, National Institute for Health and Welfare [Helsinki], Department of Applied Chemistry and Microbiology [Helsinki], University of Helsinki, Department of Environment and Primary Prevention, Istituto Superiore di Sanita [Rome], Istituto Neurobiologia e Medicina Molecolare, Consiglio Nazionale delle Richerche, KCL Science and Consulting, University of Eastern Finland, University of Kuopio, Institute of Applied Biotechnology, The Food and Environment Research Agency, Ajouter cet établissement, Central Science Laboratory, Food Safety and Quality, Address, Lipides - Nutrition - Cancer (U866) ( LNC ), Université de Bourgogne ( UB ) -Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale ( INSERM ) -AgroSup Dijon - Institut National Supérieur des Sciences Agronomiques, de l'Alimentation et de l'Environnement-Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Biologie Appliquée à la Nutrition et à l'Alimentation de Dijon ( ENSBANA ), Kungliga, Tekniska Hogskolan, Kungliga Tekniska Hogskolan, National Public Health Institute, Department of Environmental Health, University of Helsinki, Department of Applied Chemistry and Microbiology, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Department of Environmental and Primary Prevention, Istituto di Neurobiologia e Medicina Molecolare, Ajo, Lipides - Nutrition - Cancer (U866) (LNC), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Université de Bourgogne (UB)-Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Biologie Appliquée à la Nutrition et à l'Alimentation de Dijon (ENSBANA)-AgroSup Dijon - Institut National Supérieur des Sciences Agronomiques, de l'Alimentation et de l'Environnement, and Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Biologie Appliquée à la Nutrition et à l'Alimentation de Dijon (ENSBANA)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)
International audience; In vitro toxicological tests has have been proposed as an approach to complement the chemical safety assessment of food contact materials, particularly those with a complex or unknown chemical composition such as paper and board. An EU 5th framework program project “BIOSAFEPAPER – Application of bioassays for safety assessment of paper and board for food contact” specially focused on the application of biotests to paper and board. The project included both chemical characterization and toxicological testing of a representative number of paper and board extracts prepared according to the proposed end use (wet, fatty and dry food contact). Among the concerns addressed in the project wereraised regarding the applicability of in vitro tests are the effects of interference of the extractables on the outcome of the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity tests applied and the role of known compounds present in paper and boardchemically complex materials such as paper and board, either as constituents or contaminants.. In order to answer these questions, a series of experiments were performed to assess the role of, natural substances (wood extracts, resin acids), some additives (diisopropylnaphthalene, phthalates, acrylamide, fluorescent whitening agents) and contaminants (2,4-diaminotoluene, benzoa(a)pyrene) in the toxicological profile of paper and board. These substances were individually tested or used to spike actual paper and board extracts. The toxic concentrations of diisopropylnaphthalenes and phthalates , were compared with those actually detected in paper and board extracts showing conspicuous toxicity. According to the results of the spiking experiments the extracts did not affect the toxicity of tested chemicals, nor was there any significant metabolic intereference in the cases where two compounds were used in tests involving xenobiotic metabolism by the target cells. While the identified substances apparently have a role in the cytotoxicity of some of the project samples, their presence does not explain the total toxicological profile of the extracts. In conclusion, biotesting can have a role in the safety assessment of chemically complex materials in detecting potentially harmful activities not predictable by the chemical analysis alone.