Chemical hazards in products of animal origin in Cambodia from 2000 to 2023: A systematic review and meta-analysis
- From
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Published on
25.08.25
- Challenges
Chemical hazards in food present a significant health risk to consumers.
A new review paper, published in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (Aug 2025), has examined the health risks associated with chemical contaminants in products of animal origin in Cambodia, where there was previously no known published study on this topic.
The systematic literature review used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines to analyze a total of 23 reports from 2000 to 2023.
Findings
The studies mostly focused on fishery products, with arsenic and mercury being the most frequently studied hazards.
Fish and meat showed evidence of banned substances such as chloramphenicol and certain organochlorine pesticides.
Additionally, the review reported the presence of mercury in beef, pork, viscera and eggs, although the average concentration was below the hazard index.
The average concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in smoked fish exceeded the European Union limits, ranging from 0.034 to 17.2 mg/kg, with an average concentration of 1.92 mg/kg.
The pooled geometric means of arsenic and mercury in fish were 0.40 mg/kg and 0.14 mg/kg, respectively.
Thus, the health risk of mercury contamination in fishery products needs the attention of Cambodia’s risk managers.
However, industrial contaminants such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers and butyl tin in marine fishes were lower than those reported in other countries, such as Japan.
The study findings have implications for human health and national food control systems and the capacity of different agencies to undertake chemical risk assessment.
Citation
San, S.P., Nicolaides, L., Grace, D., Charaslertrangsi, T., Chamnan, C., Thombathu, S.S., Thorng, R., Kong, L., Noeurn, S., Fidero, K., Ratana, C., Zand, N., and Chea, R. 2025. Chemical hazards in products of animal origin in Cambodia from 2000 to 2023: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 22(8): 1299.
Photo: Makara market in Phnom Penh, Cambodia (ILRI/Hardisman Dasman)