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ABSTRACT
Dietary exposure of the Valencia Region population to polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and PCBs was assessed in the Region of Valencia in 2010–2011. A total of 7700 food samples were collected. Occurrence data were combined with consumption data to estimate dietary exposure in adults (>15 years of age) and young people (6–15 years of age). The estimated intake was calculated by a probabilistic approach. Average intake levels (upper-bound scenario) were 1.58 and 2.76 pg toxic equivalent (TEQ) kg−1 body weight (bw) day−1 for adults and young people, respectively. These average intakes are within range of the tolerable daily intake of 1–4 pg WHO-TEQ kg−1 bw day−1 recommended by WHO, and slightly above the tolerable weekly intake (TWI) of 14 pg TEQ kg−1 bw week−1 and the Provisional tolerable monthly intake of 70 pg TEQ kg−1 bw month−1 set by the Scientific Committee on Food and the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food, respectively. These results show that the contamination levels in food and therefore the exposure of the general population to PCDD/Fs and PCBs have declined in this region and therefore show the efficiency of the European risk-management measures. In terms of risk characterisation, the results showed that, under the upper-bound scenario, 22% of the adult and 58% of the young people population could exceed the TWI.
Acknowledgments
This work is part of the Total Diet Study of the Valencian Community (Spain) (EDT-CV). The authors are grateful to all technicians from the Public Health Laboratory of Valencia who participated in the analytical work.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors
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