A wide range of in vitro studies have demonstrated that ETO is a mutagen in mammalian cells, as well as in bacteria, plants and fungi (WHO, 1985; IARC, 1994).The prevailing view among the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) has been that the contribution to cancer risk from the consumption of low levels of ETO residues in spices is unlikely to be significant due to the relatively low levels of exposure involved (WHO, 1985; US EPA, 1996). The purpose of this study was to determine the levels of ETO and its breakdown products, ethylene chlorohydrin (ECH) and ethylene bromohydrin (EBH),encountered in specified retail spices and to carry out a quantitative risk assessment, using conservative
assumptions regarding potential exposure, to estimate excess cancer risk.