High variation of PCDDs, PCDFs, and dioxin-like PCBs ratio in cooked food from the first total diet survey in Taiwan

This study determined the levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) in 240 individual food samples, belonging to 37 different foodstuffs in first total diet study (TDS) in Taiwan. The foods were collected from markets located in eight cities or counties around Taiwan. The food was cooked in a laboratory according to recipes typically used in Taiwan. In this study, PCDD/Fs were lower than the limits proposed by the European Union (EU) regulation for commercialized food, except for a notable PCDD/Fs level in ducks (3.660 pg WHO-TEQ/g, fat) obtained from central Taiwan. We hypothesize the duck meat might be probably polluted via emission of a fly ash recycling plant located near the duck farms. In addition to fish, most foods had high PCDD/Fs to dl-PCBs ratio. Needle fish and sea perch had relatively lower PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs levels compared with those in other fish. Data from this study can be utilized for further consideration about dietary intake.