Mc Donalds food warning

Acrylamide has been a listed carcinogen under Proposition 65 since 1990, and it looks as though OEHHA will soon be listing it soon as a reproductive toxicant as well. Acrylamide levels in potatoes increase as they are turned into french fries, potato chips, etc. Hence, the following rather complicated Proposition 65 warning (presented here without warranty as to authenticity -- I'm not really sure):




Formal identification and sufficiency of evidence:

In 1991 and 1992, NIOSH published reports on occupational health standards for acrylamide that identified developmental and male reproductive toxicity (NIOSH 1991, 1992). These reports satisfy the formal identification and sufficiency of evidence criteria in the Proposition 65 regulations.

NIOSH (1991) concluded that:

“…acrylamide monomer may be neurotoxic, carcinogenic, genotoxic, and hazardous to reproduction. Recent studies confirm that acrylamide exposures cause cancer and reproductive effects in animals, but epidemiologic studies have not demonstrated these effects in humans.”

“Acrylamide exposure affected both fetal and postnatal development in mouse and rat offspring when dams were orally dosed during pregnancy.”

NIOSH (1992) stated that:

“Acrylamide is an irritant, a potent neurotoxin that affects both the central and peripheral nervous systems, a reproductive toxin, and a carcinogen.”

Adverse effects on male reproduction cited in NIOSH (1991, 1992) consisted of testicular degeneration, decreased testosterone levels, decreased fertility, and dominant lethal effects in exposed experimental animals. Developmental effects included nerve degeneration, decreased birth weight and decreased weight gain in the offspring of animals exposed to acrylamide during pregnancy.

In 2005, the NTP-CERHR published a report on acrylamide (NTP-CERHR, 2005). This report concludes that the chemical causes developmental and male reproductive toxicity, and satisfies the formal identification and sufficiency of evidence criteria in the Proposition 65 regulations.

OEHHA is relying on the NTP-CERHR’s conclusions in the report that acrylamide causes reproductive toxicity. The NTP-CERHR report concludes that there is:

Clear evidence of adverse effects for developmental toxicity in laboratory animals.

Clear evidence of adverse effects for reproductive toxicity in laboratory animals (male mice and rats).