title: Data on milk dioxin contamination linked with the location of fodder croplands allow to hypothesize the origin of the pollution source in an Italian valley.
abstract: Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) have similar toxic, endocrine-disrupting, and carcinogenic activity. They are classified as persistent organic pollutants accumulating in the environment and the tissues of living organisms. High concentrations of PCDD/F and dl-PCB have been detected in bovine milk collected in a Piedmont valley (Northwestern Italy) since 2004. This geographic study describes the local distribution of pollution from PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs. Since their presence in animal products could be traced back to the ingestion of contaminated fodder, dioxin levels in cow milk were related to the distribution of fodder cropland parcels. Specifically, the aim of the study was to determine, through an exploratory approach, whether the contamination was consistent with one common point source of contamination or different scattered sources. Data for PCDD/F and dl-PCB concentrations in the bulk milk from 27 herds, sampled over a 4-year period (2004-2007), were matched to the georeferenced land parcels the dairy farmers used for growing fodder. Isopleth maps of dioxin concentrations were estimated with ordinary kriging. The highest level of pollution for both PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs was geographically juxtaposed: in both instances, the location of the local steel plant was within this extremely highly polluted area. The study results support the hypothesis for one common point source of contamination in the valley. The exploratory spatial analysis applied in this research may provide a valuable, novel approach to straightforward identification of a highly likely source of dioxin contamination of dairy products (even in the absence of top soil contamination data).
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Italy. Electronic address: rosanna.desiato@izsto.it.
authors.forename: Rosanna
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Desiato
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bertolini
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Italy.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Baioni
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Ines
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Crescio
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise, Italy.
authors.forename: Giampiero
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scortichini
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Regioni Lazio e Toscana, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ubaldi
authors.affiliation: ASL TO 3, Azienda Sanitaria Locale di Collegno e Pinerolo, Italy.
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sparagna
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento Provinciale di Vercelli Arpa Piemonte, Vercelli, Italy.
authors.forename: Giancarlo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cuttica
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ru
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000737:chemistry*; D004147:Dioxins / Q000032:analysis*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007558:Italy; D008892:Milk / Q000737:chemistry*; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis; D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000032:analysis; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D004147:Dioxins; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls
keywords: Bovine milk; Dioxin-like PCBs; Dioxins; Environmental contamination; GIS; Kriging