Environmental health risk assessment of dioxin in foods at the two most severe dioxin hot spots in Vietnam.
BACKGROUND
Bien Hoa and Da Nang airbases were bulk storages for Agent Orange during the Vietnam War and currently are the two most severe dioxin hot spots.


OBJECTIVE
This study assesses the health risk of exposure to dioxin through foods for local residents living in seven wards surrounding these airbases.


METHODS
This study follows the Australian Environmental Health Risk Assessment Framework to assess the health risk of exposure to dioxin in foods. Forty-six pooled samples of commonly consumed local foods were collected and analyzed for dioxin/furans. A food frequency and Knowledge-Attitude-Practice survey was also undertaken at 1000 local households, various stakeholders were involved and related publications were reviewed.


RESULTS
Total dioxin/furan concentrations in samples of local "high-risk" foods (e.g. free range chicken meat and eggs, ducks, freshwater fish, snail and beef) ranged from 3.8 pg TEQ/g to 95 pg TEQ/g, while in "low-risk" foods (e.g. caged chicken meat and eggs, seafoods, pork, leafy vegetables, fruits, and rice) concentrations ranged from 0.03 pg TEQ/g to 6.1 pg TEQ/g. Estimated daily intake of dioxin if people who did not consume local high risk foods ranged from 3.2 pg TEQ/kg bw/day to 6.2 pg TEQ/kg bw/day (Bien Hoa) and from 1.2 pg TEQ/kg bw/day to 4.3 pg TEQ/kg bw/day (Da Nang). Consumption of local high risk foods resulted in extremely high dioxin daily intakes (60.4-102.8 pg TEQ/kg bw/day in Bien Hoa; 27.0-148.0 pg TEQ/kg bw/day in Da Nang).


CONCLUSIONS
Consumption of local "high-risk" foods increases dioxin daily intakes far above the WHO recommended TDI (1-4 pg TEQ/kg bw/day). Practicing appropriate preventive measures is necessary to significantly reduce exposure and health risk.
Hanoi School of Public Health, 138 Giang Vo Street, Hanoi, Viet Nam; School of Clinical Sciences and Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation - The Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. Electronic address: tth2@hsph.edu.vn.
Tran Thi
TT
Tuyet-Hanh
Dioxin Laboratory, Centre for Environment Monitoring, Vietnam Environment Administration, Nr. 556 Nguyen Van Cu, Long Bien, Hanoi, Viet Nam. Electronic address: nhminh@vea.gov.vn.
Nguyen Hung
NH
Minh
Vietnam Public Health Association, 138 Giang Vo Street, Hanoi, Viet Nam. Electronic address: lva@hsph.edu.vn.
Le
L
Vu-Anh
School of Public Health and Social Work - The Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. Electronic address: m.dunne@qut.edu.au.
Michael
M
Dunne
School of Clinical Sciences and Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation - The Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. Electronic address: leisamaree.toms@qut.edu.au.
Leisa-Maree
LM
Toms
Ryerson University, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: thomas.tenkate@ryerson.ca.
Thomas
T
Tenkate
Dioxin Laboratory, Centre for Environment Monitoring, Vietnam Environment Administration, Nr. 556 Nguyen Van Cu, Long Bien, Hanoi, Viet Nam.
Minh-Hue Nguyen
MH
Thi
School of Clinical Sciences and Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation - The Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. Electronic address: fiona.harden@qut.edu.au.
Fiona
F
Harden
D015085:2,4,5-Trichlorophenoxyacetic Acid; D015084:2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid; D000075182:Agent Orange; D001572:Benzofurans / Q000032:analysis*; D004147:Dioxins / Q000032:analysis*; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D005506:Food Contamination; D005663:Furans / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis*; D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014744:Vietnam
D001572:Benzofurans; D004147:Dioxins; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D005663:Furans; D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins; D015084:2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid; D000075182:Agent Orange; D015085:2,4,5-Trichlorophenoxyacetic Acid; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls
Bien Hoa dioxin hot spot; Da Nang dioxin hot spot; Dioxin exposure through foods; Environmental health risk assessment; Vietnam