A probabilistic approach for estimating human exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls via tuna consumption

Previous studies on estimating human exposure to PCBs often employed daily or hourly fixed intakes, failing to consider the irregularity of PCBs accumulation under a real consumption scenario. Therefore, this study aimed at simulating actual consumer behavior, estimating the specific dates and quantities of PCB-153 intake, and combining this approach with a pharmacokinetic model to estimate the human exposure to PCB-153 through Tuna consumption. A physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model was used to predict the accumulation of PCB-153 in six tissue compartments of a hypothetical woman for a period of 10 years. The simulated intake amount was 16313 ± 3797 ng/year, resulting in accumulated PCB-153 concentration in whole blood of 460 ± 12.6 ng/L after 10 years, which aligns closely with the human biomonitoring measurement results. This study provides a promising approach to understand and evaluate the exposure and accumulation of food-source pollutants in the human body, as well as to inform public health policy.