Levels and congener distributions of PCDDs,PCDFs and non-ortho PCBs in Belgian foodstuffs--assessment of dietary intake

Congener-specific analyses of 7 polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), 10 polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and 4 non-ortho (coplanar) polychlorinated biphenyls (cPCBs) were performed on 197 foodstuffs samples of animal origin from Belgium during years 2000 and 2001. All investigated matrices (except horse) present background levels lower than the Belgian non-commercialization value of 5 pg TEQ/g fat. Pork was the meat containing the lowest concentration of both PCDD/Fs and cPCBs. The mean background concentration of 2,3,7,8-TCDD toxicity equivalent in milk was 1.1 pg/g of fat, with a congener distribution typical of non-contaminated milk. The relative contribution of 2,3,7,8-TCDD, 2,3,7,8-TCDF, 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD and 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF to the PCDD/Fs TEQ was 85+/-7.9% for all investigated matrices. The cPCBs contribution to the total TEQ was 47+/-19.0% for products of terrestrial species and 69+/-20.0% for aquatic species. Once the contribution of cPCBs was added to the TEQ, few foodstuffs such as horse, sheep, beef, eggs and cheese presented levels above the future European guidelines that currently only include PCDD/Fs but will be re-evaluated later in order to include 'dioxin-like' PCBs. Based on levels measured in the samples, the estimation of the dietary intake was 65.3 pg WHO-TEQ/day for PCDD/Fs only (1.00 pg WHO-TEQ/kg bw/day, for a 65 kg person) and 132.9 pg WHO-TEQ/day if cPCBs were included (2.04 pg WHO-TEQ/kg bw/day, for a 65 kg person). Meat (mainly beef), dairy products, and fish each account for roughly one third of the intake.     

Monitoring dioxins and furans in a population living near a hazardous waste incinerator: levels in breast milk

In this study, the concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/PCDFs) in breast milk from mothers living in the vicinity of a new hazardous waste incinerator (HWI) were determined. Monitoring was performed after three years of regular operations in the facility and the present results were compared with baseline concentrations obtained in a pre-operational program. PCDD/PCDF levels were determined by HRGC/HRMS in 15 samples. In the present study, PCDD/PCDF concentrations ranged from 4.9 to 39.9 pg I-TEQ/g fat (5.1-46.8 pg WHO-TEQ/g fat), with a median value of 7.7 pg I-TEQ/g fat (9.1 pg WHO-TEQ/g fat). In the baseline survey, PCDD/PCDF concentrations ranged between 5.9 and 17.1 pg I-TEQ/g fat, with a median value of 11.7 pg I-TEQ/g fat. In relation to this, a percentage of reduction of 34.2% was noted. This decrease is in agreement with the relevant reduction found in the dietary intake of PCDD/PCDFs between both surveys. The results of the present study, as well as other recent environmental and biological data, indicate that living in the vicinity of this HWI should not mean additional health risks due to PCDD/PCDFs for the general population.     

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans and polychlorinated biphenyls levels in human breast milk from different regions of Turkey

Human breast milk offers the optimal nutrition for all infants and have been widely used in biomonitoring programs to assess human exposure to lipophylic environmental contaminants such as polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB). There are no previous reports from Turkey on chemically determined levels of PCDDs, PCDFs, and PCBs in human breast milk expressed as World Health Organization (WHO) toxic equivalents (TEQ). To get an overview of the levels of these contaminants in Turkish human milk, samples from 51 Turkish women living in the Ankara, İstanbul, Antalya, Kahramanmaraş, and Afyon provinces were analyzed by high resolution gas chromatography/high resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS) throughout 2007. The mean concentrations of WHO_PCDD/F-TEQ and WHO_PCB-TEQ of all samples from the five regions were 7.5 and 3.1 pg g⁻¹ on a lipid basis, respectively. PCDD/F concentrations ranged between 0.78 and 29.3 pg WHO-TEQ g⁻¹ fat (1.7 and 36.2 pg WHO-TEQ g⁻¹ fat, respectively, including PCB). Of the five studied locations, the lowest levels of ∑TEQs (PCDD/F + PCB) were found in the Afyon (6.8 pg WHO-TEQ g⁻¹ fat) and the highest in the Antalya (15.6 pg WHO-TEQ g⁻¹ fat) province. The results have been discussed in terms of regions and PCDD/F and PCBs for which analyses had been made. The mean levels of PCDD/Fs and PCBs in Turkish human milk are comparable to that found in other countries.     

Relationship of PCDD/Fs congener profiles between beef and raw milk in South Korea

The relationship between profiles of residual PCDD/Fs in beef and raw milk was examined by measuring concentrations and detected frequencies. Unrelated samples of beef and raw milk were collected from nine regions in South Korea. Congener-specific profiles of PCDD/Fs in beef and raw milk were very similar. PCDFs, particularly 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF, 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF, 1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDF, and 2,3,4,6,7,8-HxCDF, were dominant congeners in both beef and raw milk suggesting that sources of contamination may not significantly differ nationwide. The profiles of PCDD/Fs in domestic beef and raw milk in this study were closer to the profiles of emission from metal industries although Korea imports over 75% of feedingstuffs. The ratios of PCDF/PCDD in TEQ concentration were more than 5 and 15 in beef and raw milk, respectively. The mean concentrations of PCDD/Fs in 60 samples of beef and 60 samples of raw milk were 0.80 pg WHO-TEQ/g fat and 0.65 pg WHO-TEQ/g fat, respectively. The residual profiles of PCDD/Fs in raw milk resembled that in beef although the congener profiles might change throughout the food chain. This indicated that monitoring of dioxins in milk could provide information for contamination of milk itself or other associated food.     

Human PCDD/PCDF levels near a pentachlorophenol contamination site in Tainan, Taiwan

A pentachlorophenol (PCP) manufacturing plant in southern Taiwan discontinued production in 1989. The site of the abandoned plant was heavily contaminated by PCDD/PCDFs, impurities formed in the PCP production process. Serum samples collected from 27 residents living near the deserted plant were evaluated to determine whether this contamination had associated serum levels of PCDD/PCDFs in local residents. The average level of 17 tested congeners ranged from 556 to 5240 pg/g lipid (mean, 1670 pg/g lipid). The corresponding 2,3,7,8-TCDD toxicity equivalent quotient values calculated by international toxicity equivalent factors (I-TEFs) and those recommended by WHO (WHO-TEFs) were 47.2 pg I-TEQ/g lipid and 53.4 pg WHO-TEQ/g lipid, respectively. Levels in other parts of Taiwan typically range from 15 to 20 pg WHO-TEQ/g lipid; therefore, it is likely that the heavily contaminated plant site caused these unusually high serum levels. The average PCDD/PCDF levels of 29 fish-tissue and nine soil samples collected from the sea reservoir surrounding the abandoned PCP plant were also abnormally high: 8630 pg/g lipid (985 pg WHO-TEQ/g lipid) and 606000 pg/g-sample (922 pg WHO-TEQ/g-sample), respectively. Factor analysis indicated that the congener pattern of human serum samples collected from residents living near the abandoned PCP plant different from samples collected from other areas in Taiwan without known PCDD/PCDF pollution. Similar results were observed for the fish tissue and soil samples. The current study may have discovered a "hot spot" for elevated dioxin human exposure in Taiwan. The preliminary finding has raised a public health concern in the inspected area and requires further investigations to clarify the nature of the contamination and potential impact on the local environment and human health.     

Survey of commercial pasteurised cows' milk in Wallonia (Belgium) for the occurrence of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins,dibenzofurans and coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls

Congener-specific analyses of 7 polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), 10 polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and 4 non-ortho (coplanar) polychlorinated biphenyls (cPCBs) were performed on 35 samples of commercial long-life pasteurised cows' milk issued from eight different brands available in Walloon supermarkets (Belgium). The observed congener profile was characteristic of milk samples issued from industrialised countries with good inter and intra-brand reproducibility's. The PCDDs to PCDFs ratio was equal to 1.8 in concentration. The toxic equivalent (TEQ based on WHO-TEF) value for PCDD/Fs in all analysed milks was 1.09+/-0.30 pg TEQ/g fat (range 0.86-1.59), which is below the recommended EU non-commercialisation threshold value of 3 pg TEQ PCDD/Fs/g of milk fat. The mean TEQ value including cPCBs was 2.23+/-0.55 pg TEQ/g fat. These PCBs actually contributed for 49+/-8.6% of the total TEQ. Among PCDD/Fs and cPCBs, tetrachloro dibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), pentachloro dibenzo-p-dioxin (PeCDD), pentachloro dibenzofurans (PeCDFs) and 3,3',4,4',5-pentachloro biphenyl (PCB-126) were the most important contributors to the TEQ. Estimated daily intake (EDI) due to consumption of such milks was 0.34 pg TEQ/kg of body weight/day for PCDD/Fs and 0.69 pg TEQ/kg of body weight/day when cPCBs were included.     

PCDDs, PCDFs, and PCBs concentrations in breast milk from two areas in Korea: body burden of mothers and implications for feeding infants

We determined breast milk concentration of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs)/polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in 24 mothers living in Korea, and assessed the maternal body burden based on PCDDs/PCDFs and PCBs concentrations in breast milk and an infant intake rate through breast-feeding based on their concentration in breast milk. PCDDs/PCDFs and PCBs levels in breast milk from primipara mothers were found to be higher than those from multipara mothers. For total PCDDs/PCDFs TEQ level, 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDD was the predominant congener, and the proportion of 2,3,7,8-TCDD was less than 3% of total PCDDs/PCDFs TEQ level. For PCBs TEQ level, PCB-126 was the predominant congener. Maternal body burden levels of PCDDs/PCDFs and PCBs based on their concentrations in breast milk were 268-622 TEQ ng. The daily dioxin intakes of mothers were predicted to be 0.78-2.18 TEQ pg/kg/day for PCDDs/PCDFs and 0.34-0.66 TEQ pg/kg/ day for PCBs. For the first year, the body burden of an infant was predicted to be 212 TEQ ng and the daily intake of an infant was predicted to be 85 TEQ pg/kg/day, assuming the mean dioxin-related compounds concentration (27.54 TEQ pg/g fat).     

Levels and profiles of PCDDs,PCDFs and cPCBs in Belgian breast milk. Estimation of infant intake

Congener-specific analyses of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and non-ortho (coplanar) polychlorinated biphenyls (cPCBs) were performed on 20 non-pooled breast milk samples collected in or close to an industrial area of Wallonia (Belgium). PCDD/F concentrations ranged between 16.0 and 52.1 pg TEQ/g fat, with a mean value of 29.4 pg TEQ/g fat. If coplanar PCBs (77, 126, 169) are included in TEQ calculations, levels ranged between 22.2 and 100.2 pg TEQ/g fat, with a mean value of 40.8 pg TEQ/g fat. It appears that 2,3,7,8-TCDD, 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD, 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF and PCB-126 account for more than 90% of the TEQ. Estimated PCDD/F dietary intake is 76 pg TEQ/kg body weight (bw)/day. This value is almost 20 times higher than the World Health Organization tolerable daily intake. A value of 103 pg TEQ/kg bw/day represents the intake of PCDDs, PCDFs and cPCBs (no mono-ortho PCBs included).     

Dietary exposure to PCDD/PCDFs by individuals living near a hazardous waste incinerator in Catalonia, Spain: temporal trend

The levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF) were measured in foodstuffs randomly acquired in July 2006 in various locations of Tarragona County (Catalonia, Spain), which are near a hazardous waste incinerator (HWI). A total of 35 composite samples, belonging to various food groups (vegetables, pulses, cereals, fruits, fish and seafood, meat and meat products, eggs, milk, dairy products, and oils and fats) were analyzed by HRGC/HRMS. The dietary intake of PCDD/PCDFs was subsequently determined and compared with a previous survey performed in 2002. For calculations, recent data on consumption of the selected food items were used. Total dietary intake of PCDD/PCDFs for the general population of Tarragona County was estimated to be 27.81 pg WHO-TEQ/day, value notably lower than that found in the 2002 study, 63.80 pg WHO-TEQ/day. Fish and seafood (28%), oils and fats (22%), eggs (17%), and dairy products (11%) were the most important contributors to this intake, while pulses (1%), milk (2%), vegetables (3%) and fruits (3%) showed the lowest contribution to total WHO-TEQ. The current PCDD/PCDF intake is also considerably lower than the intake estimated in 1998 for the population of the same geographical area, 210.1 pg I-TEQ/day, when a baseline study was carried out during the construction of the HWI. The present intake is also compared with the dietary intakes of PCDD/PCDFs recently (2006-2007) reported for a number of regions and countries.     

Congener-distribution patterns and risk assessment of polychlorinated biphenyls,dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in Korean human milk

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and biphenyls (PCBs) were analyzed by high-resolution gas chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry in human milk samples from an urban and an industrial area in Korea. All PCB congeners were analyzed to characterize the congener distribution as well as to evaluate the toxic equivalent quotient (TEQ) values and the total concentration. In homologue distributions of PCBs, two distinct patterns were found. The mean concentrations of PCDD/Fs and PCBs were 15.13 and 5.64 TEQ pg/g fat (based on WHO TEF, 1997), respectively. The contamination in Korean human milk is comparable to that found in other countries. From these results a daily intake of 60 TEQ pg/kg/day for an infant was estimated. The assumptions were that the infant breast feeds for 1 year, has an average body weight of 10 kg during this period, and ingests 800 g/day of human milk containing a mean concentration of 20.84 TEQ (PCDD/Fs) pg/g fat (based on primipara mothers).     

Congener-distribution patterns and risk assessment of polychlorinated biphenyls, dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in Korean human milk

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and biphenyls (PCBs) were analyzed by high-resolution gas chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry in human milk samples from an urban and an industrial area in Korea. All PCB congeners were analyzed to characterize the congener distribution as well as to evaluate the toxic equivalent quotient (TEQ) values and the total concentration. In homologue distributions of PCBs, two distinct patterns were found. The mean concentrations of PCDD/Fs and PCBs were 15.13 and 5.64 TEQ pg/g fat (based on WHO TEF, 1997), respectively. The contamination in Korean human milk is comparable to that found in other countries. From these results a daily intake of 60 TEQ pg/kg/day for an infant was estimated. The assumptions were that the infant breast feeds for 1 year, has an average body weight of 10 kg during this period, and ingests 800 g/day of human milk containing a mean concentration of 20.84 TEQ (PCDD/Fs) pg/g fat (based on primipara mothers).     

Dioxin and dioxin-like PCB exposure of non-breastfed Dutch infants

The exposure of humans to PCDD/Fs (polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans) and dioxin-like PCBs (dl-PCBs, i.e. polychlorinated non-ortho and mono-ortho biphenyls) occurs predominantly via the intake of food. Young children have a relatively high intake of these substances, due to their high food consumption per kilogram body weight. As the exposure of non-breastfed infants to these compounds has not been assessed before in The Netherlands, we studied the dietary intake of 17 PCDD/Fs and 11 dioxin-like PCBs in 188 Dutch non-breastfed infants between 4 and 13 months. The food intake of the infants was assessed by a 2-d food record. From these data PCDD/F and dioxin-like PCB intake was calculated using PCDD/F and dioxin-like PCB concentrations of food products sampled in 1998/1999 in The Netherlands. The long-term PCDD/F and dioxin-like PCB exposure of the infants was calculated using the statistical exposure model (STEM). For infants of 5 months the chronic exposure to PCDD/F and dioxin-like PCB was 1.1pg WHO-TEQ (toxic equivalents) per kilogram body weight (bw) per day (95th percentile: 1.7pg WHO-TEQ/kg bwxd), which mainly originated from infant formula and vegetables and increased to 2.3pg WHO-TEQ/kg bwxd (95th percentile 3.7pg WHO-TEQ/kg bwxd) for infants just over 1 year old eating the same food as their parents. The percentage of formula-fed infants with an exposure exceeding the TDI of 2pg WHO-TEQ/kg bwxd was 5% at 5 months, 49% at 9 months and 64% at 12 months.     

Background levels and dietary intake of PCDD/Fs in domestic and imported meat in South Korea

A survey was conducted in South Korea to determine residual levels and dietary intake of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) from meat. Altogether 119 domestic and 164 imported samples of beef, pork, and chicken were examined. The mean levels of PCDD/Fs in upper bound were 0.21, 0.22, and 0.04pg WHO-TEQ/g fat for beef, pork, and chicken, respectively. The low level of PCDD/Fs in chicken probably resulted from the low fat content in the samples used. The samples were separated into domestic and imported products in order to investigate the sources of contamination. PCDFs were the more dominant congeners in domestic beef and were similar to those found from emission of incineration. However, the congener profiles of domestic beef and incineration were difficult to compare because the environmental fate and animal metabolism were involved. The upper bound dietary intake of PCDD/Fs from beef, pork and chicken was calculated to be 0.04pg/WHO-TEQ/kgbw/day. The combined consumption of beef, pork, and chicken was found to be 84.8g per day for a person weighing 60kg and represented 5.7% of their total daily food intake.     

High average daily intake of PCDD/Fs and serum levels in residents living near a deserted factory producing pentachlorophenol (PCP) in Taiwan: influence of contaminated fish consumption

An abandoned pentachlorophenol plant and nearby area in southern Taiwan was heavily contaminated by dioxins, impurities formed in the PCP production process. The investigation showed that the average serum PCDD/Fs of residents living nearby area (62.5 pg WHO-TEQ/g lipid) was higher than those living in the non-polluted area (22.5 and 18.2 pg WHO-TEQ/g lipid) (P<0.05). In biota samples, average PCDD/F of milkfish in sea reservoir (28.3 pg WHO-TEQ/g) was higher than those in the nearby fish farm (0.15 pg WHO-TEQ/g), and Tilapia and shrimp showed the similar trend. The average daily PCDD/Fs intake of 38% participants was higher than 4 pg WHO-TEQ/kg/day suggested by the world health organization. Serum PCDD/F was positively associated with average daily intake (ADI) after adjustment for age, sex, BMI, and smoking status. In addition, a prospective cohort study is suggested to determine the long-term health effects on the people living near factory.     

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in breast milk of first-time Irish mothers: impact of the 2008 dioxin incident in Ireland

The 2008 dioxin incident in Ireland resulted in elevated concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Irish pork and pork products, due to the consumption of contaminated animal feed by pigs. In order to investigate any resulting impact on the Irish population, these contaminants were measured in pooled breast milk samples from 109 first-time mothers, collected in 2010. A comparison of the results with similar data from 2002 revealed generally lower concentrations of PCDD/Fs and dioxin-like PCBs in the 2010 samples, confirming the declining trend reported by many authors. Contaminant concentration levels for both 2002 and 2010 were generally slightly lower than those reported internationally, with a mean combined PCDD/F and PCB WHO-TEQ of 9.66 pg g⁻¹ fat, for an overall pooled sample of milk from 2010. An apparent slight increase in PCDFs was observed between 2002 and 2010 (from 2.73 pg WHO-TEQ g⁻¹ fat to 3.21 pg WHO-TEQ g⁻¹ fat), with the main contributory congener being 2,3,4,7,8-PentaCDF. While it cannot be totally discounted that the slight increase in 2,3,4,7,8-PentaCDF and in the overall PCDF WHO-TEQ in breast milk could be attributable to consumption of Irish pork during the 2008 incident, we consider that it is more likely that this was due to other factors, including the predominantly urban/industrial sampling locations for the 2010 samples, compared to 2002.     

PCDD/F concentrations in milk of nonoccupationally exposed women living in southern Catalonia, Spain

Concentrations of 17 toxic 2,3,7,8-substituted polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) have been determined in pooled samples of breast milk from 15 mothers living in two residential areas (Tarragona downtown and an industrial area) in the vicinity of a new hazardous waste incinerator (HWI), now under construction in Tarragona (southern Catalonia, Spain). PCDD/Fs in human milk samples ranged between 5.9 and 17.1 pg I-TEQ/g fat (162-498 pg I-TEQ/l), with a mean value of 11.8 pg I-TEQ/g fat (310.8 pg I-TEQ/l). The percentages of fat ranged between 1.53 and 3.52. Although PCDD/F levels in milk from mothers living in the industrial area were found to be slightly higher than those observed in women living Tarragona downtown, most differences did not reach the level of statistical significance. In general terms, PCDD/F concentrations in human milk (pooled) samples of mothers living in the area of Tarragona are similar or lower than those previously reported for most industrialized countries.     

Levels of PCDDs, PCDFs and PCBs in Belgian and international fast food samples

Congener-specific analyses of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were performed on twenty-eight non-pooled fast food samples collected in Belgium, Switzerland, Czech Republic, United States of America and Australia. PCDD/F and PCB concentrations for the four investigated types of meals were very low. PCDD/F values ranged from non-detected to 1.40 pg WHO-TEQ/g fat and from 0.79 to 2.08 pg WHO-TEQ/g fat for lower and upper bound, respectively. Major contributors to the PCDD/F TEQ were 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDD, 1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD, 2,3,7,8-TCDF and 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF. The relative contribution of PCBs to the total TEQ was 68%. For adults, an average estimated intake was 6.7 pg WHO-TEQ/kg bw/month, including consumption of all types of analyzed meals, representing 9.5% of the PTMI. For child, a value of 14.5 pg WHO-TEQ/kg bw/month was obtained, representing 20.6% of the PTMI.     

Exposure of arc-furnace-plant workers to polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs)

This study aimed to evaluate serum polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) levels in electric-arc-furnace workers according to their corresponding occupational exposure. In addition, the ambient PCDD/Fs of the work environment were measured to provide additional support for the exposure and accumulation inside the electric arc furnace. The ambient PCDD/F concentrations inside the electric arc furnace were 1.557-1.917 pg-TEQ/Nm(3), 5-24 folds higher than those outside (0.080-0.385 pg-TEQ/N m(3)). In addition, higher average serum levels were measured in the workers with high occupational dioxin exposure (24.0 pg WHO-TEQ/g lipid) than in those with lower occupational dioxin exposure (13.8 pg WHO-TEQ/g lipid). Higher PCDFs/PCDDs ratios were found in serum samples from high-exposure groups than in low-exposure groups. The higher ratio of PCDFs/PCDDs was also found in ambient samples consistent with other metallurgical processes reported previously. Our results suggest that PCDD/Fs exposure exits in the smelting process of electric arc furnace, and the occupational hygiene should be taken more seriously concern in that workplace.     

PCDDs, PCDFs and dioxin-like PCBs in food of animal origin (Slovakia)

The levels of 17 toxic polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and 12 non-ortho and mono-ortho polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in 73 foodstuff samples of animal origin collected from shops and small farms in selected districts of Slovak Republic are presented in this paper. The concentrations expressed as WHO-TEQ in analysed samples ranged for PCDDs/PCDFs from 0.25 pg/g fat in pork to 75 pg/g fat in cod liver. The TEQ concentrations of non-ortho PCBs were between 0.007 and 181 pg/g fat and mono-ortho PCBs between 0.0083 and 66.5 pg/g fat. The mean concentrations in freshwater fish and imported species of marine fish were 0.089 pg TEQ/g fresh weight for PCDDs/PCDFs, 0.17 pg TEQ/g fresh weight for non-ortho PCBs and 0.034 pg TEQ/g fresh weight for mono-ortho PCBs. The mean total concentration of PCDDs/PCDFs and dioxin-like PCBs in samples of infant milk formula imported from EU countries was 0.98 pg TEQ/g fat.     

Concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers, organochlorine compounds and nitro musks in mother's milk from Germany (Bavaria)

The aim of this study was to determine a new spectrum of substances that will be selected for future breast milk monitoring in Bavaria, Germany. Up to now, the analysis of breast milk in Bavaria was limited to selected organochlorine pesticides (OCP) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB). Information on background levels of toxicologically interesting substances, such as dioxins and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCB) or on flame retardants, such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) are very limited or not available for Bavaria. We present here levels on OCP, some nitro musks, indicator PCB, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF) and dl-PCB concentrations in breast milk collected at 12 weeks post-partum of 43 primiparous mothers living in Bavaria. The average concentrations of PCDD, PCDF and dl-PCB were 4.98, 4.93 and 9.92 pg WHO-TEQ g(-1) lipid, respectively. The mean contribution of PCDD, PCDF, non-ortho and mono-ortho PCB to the total WHO-TEQ is consistently about 25% each. Furthermore the concentration on PBDE in breast milk at two sampling points, 12 weeks and 16 weeks after delivery, were determined. Overall, 19 PBDE congeners were analysed, however the level of 12 PBDE congeners were below the limit of detection. BDE-153 and BDE-47 were the predominant congeners accounting for about 66% of the total PBDE. The means of the total concentrations of PBDE (five congeners) at the first and second sampling point were 1.90 and 2.03 ng g(-1) lipid, respectively. Based on our results the overall concentrations of the analysed substances in milk samples from Bavaria are consistent with the levels of breast milk samples of other European countries reflecting the low background body burden of these compounds.