Korean dioxin risk patterns: Modulation by dietary-socio-demographic and behavioral factors

Dioxins, well-known persistent organic pollutants, accumulate in the human body primarily through dietary exposure. However, it may be significant to examine the current status of dioxin risk in relation to physiological factors, lifestyle factors, and socioeconomic conditions with dietary patterns.

This study aimed to identify the non-carcinogenic dioxin risk patterns according to physiological, socioeconomic, lifestyle, and dietary factors.

Physiological, socioeconomic, lifestyle, and dietary factors were surveyed for 153 Korean adults (aged 20-59) living in metropolitan areas. 29 dioxin congeners were analyzed in serum samples. The estimated daily dioxin intake was calculated by combining the surveyed dietary consumption data with the dioxin concentrations provided by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety of Korea. The non-carcinogenic risk from comparing the estimated intake with WHO TDI value was classified into surveyed factors. The association between dietary intake and blood dioxin concentrations was evaluated using a generalized linear model.

Females exhibited a higher risk than males, and the risk increased with advancing age. Current smokers showed a lower risk compared to non-smokers and former smokers, while participants with a history of disease demonstrated a notably lower risk than those without such a history. Furthermore, higher monthly income was associated with an increased risk, whereas higher educational attainment was inversely associated with risk. Shellfish was associated with increasing blood DL-PCBs levels.

Socio-demographic and behavioral factors may play an important role in modulating the non-carcinogenic risk associated with dietary dioxin exposure. Changes in dioxin risk patterns across such factors warrant further examination through additional investigation.