Human dietary exposure to polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans in Taiwan

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) levels in a total of 25 food items in Taiwan were surveyed. It was observed that shellfish and saltwater fish possessed the highest PCDD/Fs levels, 9.82 and 3.60 pg WHO-TEQ/g, respectively, on the lipid basis. The dietary intakes of humans at the ages of 12-18, 19-64, and over 65 were determined. The estimated intake were between 21.8 pg (female teenagers) and 37.6 pg (male seniors) WHO-TEQ/day; the levels varied with the dietary habits. The PCDD/F intakes for all human groups are far below the tolerable limit of 70 pg WHO-TEQ/kg b.w./month. In addition, the daily PCDD/F intake levels for duck-farmers consuming average and large amounts of PCDD/F contaminated duck eggs were examined. The result shows that consuming more than one duck egg with level higher than 10 pg WHO-TEQ/g lipid of PCDD/Fs per day could lead to a PCDD/F intake level higher than the tolerable limit. However, for normal population, there is a little risk to ingest intolerable amount of PCDD/Fs because of consuming contaminated duck eggs.