Dioxin contamination of food in Italy: an overview of the situation 1999-2000.
The Istituto Zooprofilattico dell'Abruzzo e del Molise 'G. Caporale' (IZS A&M) has been monitoring contamination of food by the polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDD) and polychlorinated dibenzo-furans (PCDF) as part of the National Surveillance Plan (NSP) in Italy since 1999, on license from the Italian Ministry of Health. Between 1999 and 2000, 238 samples (including meat, fish, eggs, milk, fat, feedstuffs) were analysed. The results of the tests were expressed in terms of international toxic equivalents (I-TEQs from NATO/CCMS, 1988) and World Health Organization toxic equivalents (WHO-TEQs). These results showed contamination levels comparable to those detected in similar studies conducted in other European countries for products such as milk (mean: 0.81 pg I-TEQ/g fat), meat (mean: 0.73 pg I-TEQ/g fat) and fat (mean: 0.51 pg I-TEQ/g fat). The highest dioxin content was found in fish (mean: 5.28 pg I-TEQ/g fat) and fish feeds (mean 6.60 pg ITEQ/ g fat). These two matrices also showed complete duplication of contamination profiles. Other edible matrices (milk, meat, eggs) revealed the presence of HpCDD and OCDD. This could be due to the introduction into Italy of the animal feed additive choline chloride contaminated by these congeners.
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Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise 'G. Caporale', Teramo, Italy.
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