THEORY OF OBJECTS. ARTICLE 25. METHODOLOGY FOR CALCULATING THE TOXICITY INDEX (IT) TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE VECTOR OF PARAMETERS: REGULATORY THRESHOLDS, ACCUMULATION KINETICS, HORMESIS AND COCKTAIL EFFECT

This article presents an open, reproducible and scientifically sound methodology for calculating the toxicity index (TI), the second of the two indices of the theory of objects. IT is defined as the number of unique harmful molecular species per 100 g of product or 100 ml of liquid in a specific state. The methodology is based on the central ontological position of the theory: a product is not a category, but a vector of parameters, including the name, variety, origin, method of production, condition, freshness and storage conditions. Only the totality of these parameters determines the toxic profile. The methodology introduces a formula for calculating IT as a function of a vector: the basic value of IT for the variety, region and method of production, multiplied by the coefficients of production, freshness and storage, taking into account the kinetics of the accumulation of toxicants. Unlike PP, where the coefficients reflect the degradation of beneficial molecules, in IT, the coefficients reflect the formation and accumulation of harmful compounds. The methodology is based on the regulatory thresholds (TTC, ADI, TDI, UL, MRL, BMD) established by EFSA, JECFA, WHO/FAO and IARC, and supplements them with a category of dose-dependent molecules with an X/Y registry to take into account hormesis. IT takes into account three classes of food toxicants: native, technological and external contaminants. Particular attention is paid to the cocktail effect, i.e. the synergistic interaction of several toxicants. Unlike PP, IT applies the precautionary principle to bioavailability: even low-bioavailability toxicants are considered because they can act in the intestinal lumen, on the microbiota, and cumulatively.