The FLEX_SUM.ToxRefValues sheet in EFSA OpenFoodTox 3.0 (Zenodo record 19388272, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.19388272) contains 19747 data rows across 80 columns (max_row=19748 including the header row). Each row represents a toxicological reference value assigned by EFSA to a substance, derived from a specific dossier assessment. The sheet covers human health hazard characteristics only; animal health reference values (relevant for pet food formulation) are encoded separately in the dossier-level metadata.
Reference value type distribution
The dataset uses five distinct reference value schemas, each tied to a different regulatory question:
| Reference Value | Schema | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| ADI (Acceptable Daily Intake) | chronic, consumer | 1007 | 5.1% |
| AOEL (Acceptable Operator Exposure Level) | chronic, occupational | 607 | 3.1% |
| AAOEL (Acute AOEL) | acute, occupational | 162 | 0.8% |
| ARfD (Acute Reference Dose) | acute, consumer | 577 | 2.9% |
| Other Reference Values | flexible schema (UL/AI/TDI/TWI/AOEC/MTDI/RfD/AAOEC) | 18608 | 94.2% |
| Total reference value instances | 20961 | 106.1% |
Note: total counts to 106.1% because individual substances can carry multiple reference values per row (one row may have an ADI plus an Other RefValue descriptor). The 19747 data row total is the number of substance-endpoint combinations; the 20961 reference value instances is the count of populated fields across those rows.
"Other" reference value descriptor distribution (18608 rows)
The Other schema covers 9 distinct descriptor types, with 17980 (96.6%) carrying literal value other:: and no further specification:
| Descriptor | Count | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
other:: (descriptor not specified) | 17980 | 96.6% of Other rows |
| UL (Tolerable Upper Intake Level) | 348 | upper intake limit for nutrients/vitamins |
| AI (Adequate Intake) | 164 | intake level assumed adequate for groups |
| TDI (Tolerable Daily Intake) | 74 | non-carcinogenic chronic intake limit |
| TWI (Tolerable Weekly Intake) | 22 | weekly intake limit (e.g. heavy metals) |
| AOEC (Acceptable Operator Exposure Concentration) | 10 | air concentration limit for workers |
| MTDI (Maximum TDI) | 4 | group TDI across multiple sources |
| RfD (Reference Dose, US-EPA-style) | 4 | EPA-derived chronic reference |
| AAOEC (Acute AOEC) | 2 | acute air concentration limit |
Data quality flag: 17980 of 18608 "Other" rows (96.6%) carry the literal other:: descriptor. EFSA populated the record but did not specify which reference value type applies. This is a major data gap — the bulk of the 19748-row dataset has un-classified reference value semantics. Cross-referencing back to the parent dossier (Document UUID → Parent UUID → DOSSIER.Domain.FoodDomain) would be required to recover the actual reference type.
ADI unit distribution (1007 records)
| Unit | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| mg/kg bw/day | 962 | 95.5% |
| mg/kg bw | 23 | 2.3% |
| µg/kg bw/day | 15 | 1.5% |
| mg/person/day | 6 | 0.6% |
| g/person/day | 1 | 0.1% |
The dominant unit mg/kg bw/day (milligrams per kilogram body weight per day) is the standard EFSA ADI unit for chronic consumer exposure assessment. The single g/person/day row is unusual — likely a macronutrient (energy/sugar/fat allowance) rather than a chemical hazard threshold.
ADI numerical range
Across 1007 numeric ADI values: minimum 5e-05 mg/kg bw/day (highly potent substance, possibly a mycotoxin or pesticide), maximum 600.0 mg/kg bw/day (a low-toxicity substance, possibly an essential nutrient such as a vitamin C or amino acid). The range spans more than 7 orders of magnitude, reflecting the diversity of substances EFSA evaluates.
ADI Population (intended consumer group)
| Population | Count |
|---|---|
| consumers (general) | 1218 |
| adults | 3 |
| infants | 3 |
| toddlers | 1 |
| children | 1 |
1218 of 1226 ADI Population records (99.3%) target "consumers" — the general population including infants, children, and adults. Sub-population-specific ADIs (infants only, toddlers only) are rare (7 records total, 0.6%) and used for substances with heightened sensitivity in early-life stages (e.g. nitrates, lead).
Pet food relevance
EFSA's toxicological reference values in this sheet are calibrated for human consumers, not pets. Pet food formulation uses a different derivation path:
- NOAEL × UF (uncertainty factor) = reference value for target
species. EFSA publishes NOAELs in dossier-level records but the derived pet-specific reference values are not in this dataset.
- Maximum residue limits / transfer factors for veterinary drug
residues crossing from livestock feed to pet food (rare) are sourced separately under Reg 470/2009.
The 1007 ADI values are nonetheless relevant to pet food safety in two scenarios:
- Carry-over contamination — when a feed additive or
contaminant is regulated for humans, the same value is often applied as a default safety threshold for pets.
- Cross-validation — pet-specific NOAELs can be compared
against human ADIs to flag substances where the safety margin is unexpectedly tight (e.g. where the human ADI × species conversion factor leaves <10× safety margin for the pet).
Source: toxicology/efsa/OFT3.0_export_repository.xlsx, sheet FLEX_SUM.ToxRefValues (19748 rows × 80 cols). Pet-specific reference value derivation requires parent-dossier join and substance-level NOAEL extraction.