HEALTH REPORT - Acrylamide in Fried Foods
HEALTH REPORT -July 10, 2002: Acrylamide in Fried 1 Foods
By Nancy Steinbach
This is the VOA Special English Health Report.
Twenty-three international health experts say they are concerned about the possible health effects of a harmful
chemical found in some popular foods.
The experts made the announcement at the end of a recent meeting of the World Health Organization in Geneva,
Switzerland. The W-H-O and the Food and Agriculture Organization called the meeting to examine the results of
earlier studies of the chemical, acrylamide (a-KRILL-a-mide). Acrylamide causes cancer in laboratory 2 animals.
There is no proof 3 that it causes cancer in humans. However, it is known to damage the human nervous system.
In April, Swedish scientists found high levels of acrylamide in several kinds of carbohydrate 4 foods that are fried
or baked at high temperatures. They include French fried potatoes, potato chips, crackers 5, breakfast cereals 6 and
bread. Millions of people around the world eat these foods.
Sweden’s National Food Administration 7 tested more than one-hundred different kinds of
carbohydrate foods. It found that a bag of potato chips contained five -hundred times more
acrylamide than is considered safe by the W-H-O. Researchers also tested French fried
potatoes from an American fast-food eating place. They found one-hundred times the safe limit
of acrylamide. They also found high levels of the chemical in some cereals. Similar results
were found in later studies done in Norway, Britain, Switzerland, Germany and the United
States.
These results led the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization to
call the meeting in Geneva. The experts at the meeting called the situation a serious problem.
They urged the food industry to reduce levels of acrylamide in their products. But they said more study is needed
to find out the risk from foods containing acrylamide. They want to create a group that will examine the results of
all the studies from governments, universities and industries around the world.
The scientists said they did not have enough information to warn people not to eat foods containing acrylamide.
But they said people should eat a balanced diet with more fruits and vegetables and limited amounts of fatty and
fried foods.
This VOA Special English Health Report was written by Nancy Steinbach.
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- She has donated money to establish a laboratory.她捐款成立了一个实验室。
- Our laboratory equipment isn't perfect,but we must make do.实验室设备是不够理想，但我们只好因陋就简。
- He is living proof of the wonders of modern medicine.他是当代医学奇迹的活证明。
- The proof was fished up from some old papers.校样在旧文件中被找到了。
- You should not have too much carbohydrate in your diet.你日常饮食中不该有过多碳水化合物。
- Cashew nuts are rich in carbohydrate.腰果含丰富碳水化合物。
- That noise is driving me crackers. 那噪声闹得我简直要疯了。
- We served some crackers and cheese as an appetiser. 我们上了些饼干和奶酪作为开胃品。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- By cereals we mean wheat,oats,rye,barley,and all that.谈到谷物，我们指的是小麦、燕麦、黑麦、大麦之类的东西。
- Wheat and rice are cereals.小麦和水稻是谷类植物。
- Who is in charge of the administration of your company?你们公司的行政工作由谁负责？
- The teachers are responsible to the school administration.教师向学校行政负责。