Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) Research Paper - 4

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) - Research Paper Example 52).). Delaney clause on the other hand states that carcinogenic in food is unacceptable. Through this it protects public health and especially children who are vulnerable. However, every alternative to Delaney incorporates some risk assessment which defines certain levels of acceptable risks. Delaney clause is subject to some limitations in prioritizing the level of risk management for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons. One of the problems is that it does not take into account the exact risk that a carcinogenic substance can pose once consumed (Dickey, p. 42). This is because the analytical chemistry has been improved and can detect even smaller quantities of chemicals as chemicals have become widely used nowadays. Regulatory agencies are thus faced with difficulties in trying to administer Delaney’s Clause because it applies to quantities used in large amounts and can easily be detected. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confronted this problem by using quantitative risk assessment and set a standard known as â€Å"de minis†, which held that risk was negligible if a carcinogenic food additive was concentrated at less than 1part in 1,000,000 (Dickey, p. 45). The issue regarding pesticides use for which Delaney’s Clause prohibited also had limitations. This is found in section 409 and it poses difficulties to those agencies which has the mandate to regulate pesticides (Shimada and Fujii-Kuriyama, p. 71). Agencies like Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) conflicts with Delaney’s Clause because they license the sale of pesticides and most probably if they are of more benefit to the country than the risk they pose. This is contrary to Delaney’s Clause which does not take into account the risk-benefit analysis but have a clear conclusion that if the pesticide in a food additive is evident to cause cancer inhuman being or in animals then it should