NCTR Research Highlights

Current Highlight from October 19, 2012

Carcinogenicity of Acrylamide
Scientists from NCTR and Portugal's Centro de Quimica Estrutural, Instituto Superior Tecnico have shown that acrylamide has clear carcinogenic activity in rodents from a two-year drinking water study. Acrylamide administration produced dose-dependent increases in tumors at multiple organ sites in male and female mice and rats. Based upon these data, the World Health Organization concluded that acrylamide in food is of public health concern. Acrylamide is found in many foods that are prepared by high-temperature frying, baking, or roasting. Additional exposures to acrylamide occur from smoking cigarettes and occupational exposure. This study was supported through NCTR's Interagency Agreement with the National Toxicology Program. A manuscript describing this study was recently accepted for publication in Food and Chemical Toxicology (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2012.09.017