Congener profile, occurrence and estimated dietary intake of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs in foods marketed in the Region of Valencia (Spain)

During 2006-2008, a monitoring program was conducted on 29 target compounds, including PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs, comprising 150 randomly collected individual food samples marketed in the Region of Valencia, Spain, grouped into 8 categories (vegetables, cereals, fats and oils, eggs, milk and dairy products, fish products, meat and meat products and fish oil). For PCDD/Fs, the highest frequency of detection corresponds to 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD, OCDD, 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF; and PCBs 118, 105 and 156 were the more frequent dl-PCBs. The food groups presenting higher contamination, expressed as toxic equivalents (WHO-TEQs), were fish oil (6.38pgWHO-TEQg^-1fat), fish (1.21pgWHO-TEQg^-1w.w.) and milk and dairy products (0.90pgWHO-TEQg^-1fat). Of all analysed samples, only two fish oils presented levels higher than the EU limits for total WHO-TEQ. The average PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs intakes were estimated as 2.86pgWHO-TEQkg^-1b.w.d^-1 and 4.58pgWHO-TEQkg^-1b.w.d^-1, for adults and children, respectively, using the deterministic method for chronic exposure. The main contributors to total intake for adults were fish (59%), milk and dairy products (19%), and fat and oils (9%). The average daily intake for adults (2.86pgWHO-TEQkg^-1b.w.d^-1) is within range of TDI recommended by the WHO (1-4pgWHO-TEQkg^-1b.w.d^-1), and slightly above the TWI and PTMI adopted by SCF and JECFA respectively.