Abstract: In recent years, consumers and the government have paid growing attention to food safety, and the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with carcinogenic and teratogenic potential in foods has become an increasing concern. In this article, the current available data on the contents of PAHs in different foods and the safety evaluation of their margins of exposure (MOE) and lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) are reviewed. It is believed that more attention should be paid to the food safety for vulnerable groups such as infants. Meanwhile, the influence of different processing methods and processing conditions on the formation of PAHs in foods is summarized, and some measures to reduce PAHs are presented with a view to providing useful information for consumers to reduce dietary risk and providing an impetus for studies on the formation mechanism and toxicology of PAHs.

Key words: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, safety evaluation, margins of exposure, incremental lifetime cancer risk, measure