Farmed Fish as a Source of Dioxins and PCBs for Polish Consumers

This paper reports polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (PCDD), polychlorinated dibenzofuran (PCDF), and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations in fish collected from Polish and Vietnamese farms and the related risk for consumers.

Altogether, 160 samples were analysed using an isotope dilution technique with high-resolution gas chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC-HRMS). To characterise the potential health risk associated with PCDD/F and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyl (DL-PCB) intake, doses ingested in two 100 g portions of fish by adults and children were calculated and expressed as the percentage of the tolerable weekly intake (TWI) newly established by the EFSA in November 2018 at 2 pg WHO-TEQ kg^-1 b.w.

Generally, levels in fish muscles were low in relation to maximum limits (4), being in the range of 0.02-3.98 pg WHO-TEQ g^-1 wet weight (w.w.) for PCDD/F/DL-PCBs and 0.05-24.94 ng g^-1 w.w. for NDL-PCBs. The highest concentration was found in eel muscles. The least polluted were pangas and zanders and the levels were at the limits of quantification. Consumption of two portions of fish per week results in intakes of 9- 866% TWI by children and 4-286% TWI by adults.

Frequent consumption of some species (for example eel and bream) can pose a health risk to vulnerable consumers and especially children and pregnant women.