Concentrations of PCDD/PCDFs and PCBs in retail foods and an assessment of dietary intake for local population of Shenzhen in China

OBJECTIVES: Concentrations of 17 polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and 18 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured in 11 varieties of food groups collected from retail market of Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China from 2004 to 2006. PCDD/Fs and PCBs dietary intake from varies food for the local population was estimated in the study. METHODS: Concentrations of 17 polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and 12 dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) as well as 6 marker PCBs were measured in 11 varieties of food groups in total 110 food samples by isotope dilution HRGC/HRMS. PCDD/Fs and PCBs dietary intake for local population was estimated using total WHO-TEQ concentration and different food consumption amount of the local population. RESULTS: The median WHO-TEQ concentrations of sum of PCDD/Fs and DL-PCBs varied from 0.0093 pg/g (parts per trillion) in vegetable to 9.89 pg/g in fish. Fish was followed by egg 2.46, chicken 1.73, beef 0.94, mutton 0.82, duck 0.39, pork 0.37, milk powder 0.25, vegetable oil 0.076, cereals 0.022 pg/g and vegetable. The monthly intake of PCDD/Fs and PCBs were 40.9 pg WHO-TEQ/kg b.w. for local population. Sum of fish, livestock, and poultry contributed 77% to the Estimated Monthly Intake (EMI) in local population. CONCLUSION: Estimated dietary intake of PCDD/Fs and DL-PCBs for local population was below the provisional tolerable monthly intake(PTMI) set by Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA).