Brussels, 18/07/2012 (Agence Europe) - Over the past few years, exposure to dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in food and feed have noticeably dropped, according to the latest report from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) issued on 18 July. Dioxins and PCBs are persistent environmental pollutants which can accumulate in the food chain and which, over time, can have adverse effects on human health and may cause cancer. The report shows a general decrease in dietary exposure to dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs over the period 2008-2010 compared with 2002-2004, of at least 16% and up to 79% for the general population, with a similar decrease for toddlers and older children. Exposure to non-dioxin-like PCBs, a sub-set of PCBs with different toxicological properties, also decreased.
This report, which was prepared by EFSA's Dietary and Chemical Monitoring Unit, is based on some 33,000 samples collected by 26 European countries between 1995 and 2010. Levels of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs, and of non-dioxin-like PCBs were above the permitted maximum levels in 10 % and 3% of the food samples respectively. Just over 2% of feed samples were above the maximum levels for both dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs, and non dioxin-like PCBs.
Feed and food of animal origin showed the highest levels of contamination. “Meat from eels” and “Fish liver and derived products” contained the highest average contamination levels for both dioxins and PCBs. Meat from sheep contained on average less dioxins and PCBs than meat from bovine animals. Eggs from battery hen rearing contained significantly less dioxins and PCBs than those coming from free range, organic and outdoor growing production. Farmed salmon and trout contained on average lower levels of dioxins and PCBs than salmon and trout caught in the wild. Herring, salmon and trout from the Baltic region were more contaminated by dioxins and PCBs than those from other regions.
Overall, fish, meat and dairy products were the most important food sources. However, their relative importance to dietary exposure depended on consumer age and country of residence. The major contributor to total exposure was milk and dairy products for almost all infant and toddler groups, whereas it was fish and seafood products for most of the other population groups. (AN/transl.fl)